More traffic, potholes expected near new South Bend casino

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Some drivers are excited for the opening of the new Four Winds Casino but anxious about the state of the streets surrounding it.

“It’s going to be a lot of cars jumping and bumping because everybody is trying to get there,” said driver Roosevelt Green.

Many of those drivers think the more cars on the roads, the more problems they’ll see.

“It’s terrible, a terrible drive,” said Alesia Fluelen, she lives off Olive Street. “High traffic area, more potholes, I just hope and pray that the streets department get on the job.”

And with the casino opening its doors Tuesday evening, this area is expecting quite a bit of traffic on these already bumpy roads.

“I wish they would’ve gotten out here right now to fix these streets,” said Green.

The city is working on repaving the roads eventually.

The city’s public works department outlined a road reconstruction plan for Olive Street from Tucker Drive to Prairie Avenue will come in 2019.

The cost to patch up the nearly mile-long stretch of potholes will about $3.6 million dollars.

Drivers say that investment is well worth the price.

“But they did like a patch that was it, when they should’ve done the whole stretch,” said driver Joe Shidler.