Construction on Capital Ave. will begin later this week from the entrance to the Indiana Toll Road to Evergreen Rd.

Memorial Hospital paid $290,000 to move the Evergreen Rd. intersection about 300 feet south so it aligns with the Toll Road entrance.

Currently there is no development along Capital Ave. because legislators want to maintain a higher speed north-south road.

"My concern was that they would turn Capital Avenue into another Grape or Main street and we don't need any more of that, especially with the [St. Joseph Regional] hospital locating out there on Douglas Rd," said State Rep. Craig Fry (D) - Mishawaka.

Last year Fry and Mishawaka Mayor Jeff Rea debated about Capital Ave. development.

"I originally was opposed to that, but I ended up getting what I really wanted, which was the guaranteed limited access highway that Capital Ave is going to be," said Fry.

Memorial's intersection will be the last four-way intersection along Capital Ave. The work that begins this week will allow for free flowing traffic on to Evergreen.

"Truing it up with the intersection will allow for traffic to flow as freely as possible on Capital Avenue, which is our objective," said Jeff Costello, VP/CFO of Memorial Health System.

Memorial owns 22 acres of land near Capital Ave. and Evergreen Rd. The hospital said it doesn't have any plans in the works to use the land, but it wants to be ready if a need arises.

"We worked very closely with Representative Fry and Mayor Rea over the course of the last several months to work toward a solution that's going to allow for free traffic flow along Capital Ave., but allow Memorial to potentially expand at the time that is necessary," said Costello.

Construction should wrap up in August. Crews said there will be one lane on and off the Toll Road open at all times during the construction.