Changes coming to Indiana toll road plazas

The Indiana Toll Road Concession Company has announced a multi-million dollar plan to renovate and improve plazas along the toll road.

On October 1, phase one of the $30 million renovation will begin in Steuben County at milepost 146.

The plaza at milepost 146 will be shutdown and demolition is set for 2016.

Phase two of the project involves the Elkhart plaza at milepost 90 and milepost 22 near Portage.

Both the Elkhart and Portage plazas will be completely torn down and rebuilt. This will begin April 2016 with a completion date set for August 2016.

When it is completed there will be four locations at Portage and Elkhart. It will include a gas station and convenience story comparable to a 7-Eleven in size; however, a design has not been decided yet.

Phase three will not begin until the Elkhart and Portage locations are completely rebuilt and reopened.

The third and final phase will involve Rolling Prairie and the Howe/Lagrange plazas. They will also be torn down and rebuilt into full-service plazas.

This will be similar to the size already in place, complete with a gas station, convenience store, lobby area, and fast food options.

During the construction process, Indiana Toll Road officials say there will not be two adjacent plazas under construction at the same time to minimize the impact on travelers.

All three phases are expected to be completed in early 2018.