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Up to 25 Westfield businesses near the intersection of U.S. 31 and Ind. 32 could be forced to move when the state turns U.S. 31 into a limited-access highway.

Representatives from the Indiana Department of Transportation and RW Armstrong, the engineering firm the state hired for the project, delivered that news Thursday in a meeting with leaders from Hamilton County, Carmel and Westfield.

INDOT plans to spend about $487 million to eliminate traffic signals on U.S. 31 through Carmel and Westfield, turning the road into a limited-access highway by 2017. The project starts in 2011 at the intersection of U.S. 31 and Ind. 38.

Jason Hignite, of RW Armstrong, said the state could buy all or portions of land from up to 25 businesses near the intersection of U.S. 31 and Ind. 32 (176th Street). Options for the interchanges there include a traditional diamond and a diamond alternative with a single traffic signal.

Jennifer Dzwonar, a spokeswoman for the project, said the purchases likely would involve the entire properties.

Through a series of meetings like Thursday's, planners have presented potential design options for all interchanges along the highway as they've drafted plans.

The recommendations for each interchange will be presented next month, and a public hearing on the proposed designs will be in late June or early July.

North of Ind. 32, the project must skirt Westfield Washington Schools' recreational fields, located on the east side of U.S. 31, to avoid violating a federal regulation. To do that, the alignment of the roadway has to be shifted west, cutting into a cluster of small businesses mainly on the southwest side of the intersection.

"We've done the best we can to reduce the environmental impact as much as possible," Hignite said, adding that at more flexible intersections, planners were considering various design alternatives to save businesses.

Jim Godby has owned Godby Home Furnishings northwest of the intersection for 27 years. He said he opened another store in Noblesville three years ago in preparation for his Westfield land to be taken for the project, but his plans are up in the air until he gets word from the state.

"It leaves us in a real turmoil not knowing what they're going to do," he said.

Dzwonar said INDOT plans to contact business owners early in 2009, after the state submits recommendations for the U.S. 31 project and the Federal Highway Administration releases the final design.

Westfield Mayor Andy Cook said many of the businesses, including gasoline retailers, auto repair stores and a Best Western hotel, likely will want to move when the limited-access highway is built because it will change the type of land use there.

"A lot of these businesses will not want to be there," Cook said. "They'll want to locate in a more appropriate location for that kind of business, or they'll be offered so much money by the private sector they'll want to move."

Hignite said Ind. 32 will be the intersection most impacted by the project.

Up to 12 businesses could be forced to move at 146th and 151st streets, which are heavily developed with retail and restaurants.

The state is considering putting access points to U.S. 31 at those streets, but the final design recommendation still is being discussed.

by Francesca Jarosz- Indy star