City of Elkhart breaks ground on $51 million Hively Avenue Overpass    

ELKHART, Ind. -- A project more than 25 years in the making has broken ground in Elkhart.

Construction on the $51 million Hively Avenue Overpass project is well underway, with contractors already sorting out utilities on the far side of the tracks.

For decades, the city has been working to cut down on wait times at some of Elkhart's busiest railroad crossings. This overpass, set to be open to traffic at Hively Avenue and South Main Street in November of 2027, is expected to be the final project of its kind.

The only remaining crossing without an overpass or underpass in Elkhart is the Main Street crossing at the edge of downtown.

Hively Avenue was awarded state grant funding because of the high train and traffic rates in the area as well as a history of accidents caused by impatient drivers attempting to go around the crossing gates.

The overpass is also expected to cut down on response times for EMS, with three local fire stations using Hively on their daily emergency routes to get across the tracks.

Drivers can expect lengthy closures on Hively, though the project is designed to keep South Main Street open to traffic for the duration of construction.

The $51 million in funding was gathered through a combination of state and federal grants, contributions from Norfolk Southern Railroad and the city of Elkhart.