Granger will soon have its own major car dealership. Gates Automotive has started construction on a new location on State Road 23.

Company representatives broke ground at the construction site Friday afternoon. The dealership is expected to open in six to eight months.

"We were very excited when this piece of property became available," said Matt Helmkamp, president of Gates Chevy World. "It is right across from Martin's, where a lot of people already shop."

Helmkamp said that the added visibility made the property more lucrative.

"There's a lot of traffic of people that will come by each day and see us," he said.

The new location will also mean new jobs.

"We will have about thirty people," Helmkamp said. "We will either be hiring for this location or be replacing people that we move over from our other locations."

Though there are Gates locations in Mishawaka and South Bend, this will be the first in Granger. Helmkamp said that city improvements like the sewer project and widening of State Road 23 drew them to the area.

Gate's Granger location will offer ten of their most popular used car models and also a service area.