It's a done deal. Late Tuesday night the St. Joseph County Council voted unanimously to follow through with the University of Notre Dame's proposal for realigning Douglas Road.
The plan will re-route Douglas Road closer to the Indiana Toll Road. Notre Dame thinks the project will be good for everyone in the area, but some people nearby don't see it that way. They think it's just an attempt by the University to isolate itself from South Bend.
Charles Clark lives in Indian Village. He says he's extremely disappointed by the council's decision and believes they have failed voters.
"Taking a perfectly straight segment of road and making it really curvy and sticking two traffic circles in it just doesn't make any sense," he said. "I think these people who were paid to represent and carry out the citizens' will weren't listening."
Meanwhile the University says it will pay for the road construction to be done if the county does its part to maintain the road. They say their project will increase safety around campus. St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jeff Rea agrees. And he says safety isn't the only benefit this project will bring.
"It's really going to be transformational for our community, much like we saw Angela and Edison transform and really that whole area around campus," he said. "It just gives Notre Dame an opportunity to grow and expand. We think it's a wonderful enhancement for the community as well.
"It's a win-win from an economic development standpoint, from a traffic flow standpoint, from a visual standpoint, and all those things really enhance the county as a whole."
FOX 28 will cover the project from beginning to end and we'll let you know how construction will affect traffic in the area.
