Elkhart County Road 17 is a north–south county highway in Elkhart County, Indiana. It is currently undergoing improvements to become a four-lane divided road with non-limited traffic. CR 17 begins at the state line, connecting with state highway M-217 in Michigan. The roadway enters Indiana and becomes CR 17. Currently the improved section of CR 17 ends between CR 40 and CR 38. The portion of CR 17 between U.S. Route 20 and the Indiana Toll Road is part of the National Highway System, the only county highway in Indiana on the system.
Route description
CR 17 southern terminus is at the Kosciusko-Elkhart County Line. From the southern terminus CR 17 heads due north, north of the southern terminus is US 6. Then north of US 6, CR 17 meets CR 40. North of CR 40, the road becomes a four-lane divided highway before CR 38. At CR 38, the route has a traffic light and curves to the northwest, followed by a traffic light at State Road 119. North of SR 119, the route curves due north and becomes limited accesses passing over CR 32 and CR 30. The highway has a traffic light at CR 28, CR 28 links CR 17 and US 33. After CR 28 is a traffic light with Rieth Boulevard, which also provides access to US 33. North of CR 28, the route passes over US 33 and the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks. After the bridge is a traffic light with an access road to CR 45, followed by a bridge over CR 45 and the Elkhart River. After the river the road passes under CR 26. East of Elkhart CR 17 has an interchange with U.S. Route 20 and an intersection with State Road 120. Then in northeast Elkhart CR 17 has an interchange with I-80/I-90/Indiana Toll Road. The portion of CR 17 north of the Indiana Toll Road, along with M-217, is known as the Michiana Parkway. The northern terminus is north of the Indiana Toll Road at the Michigan State Line.
History
The planning for CR 17 goes back to the 1960s when the state of Indiana planned a bypass of US 33 around the southwest side of Goshen; this project was never built. Then in the 1980s a plan to connect the Indiana Toll Road with east side of Elkhart was planned. The project involved replacing some of Elkhart County Road 6. When the project on CR 6 was completed, a need for a north-south corridor in Elkhart County became a problem. Elkhart County choose Elkhart County Road 17 as the north-south corridor. The first section opened in the 1990s near the Michigan state line. The section near US 33 opened in 2005, with section in between being completed in sections. In October 2012, the new four-lane divided highway opened to traffic from just north of CR 40 to CR 28. The old two-lane highway between CR 38 and CR 18 is now known as Old CR 17.
Future
The plans are to continue the upgrade of CR 17 south to U.S. Route 6.
