CARMEL, Ind. (AP): Residents and businesses in the northern suburbs of Indianapolis are bracing for the start of an eight-month closure of U.S. 31 as part of the project upgrading it to interstate standards.
 
       State officials plan on Friday to shut down a stretch of the highway for more than a mile through Carmel. That closure is scheduled to last into November.
 
       Carmel City Councilwoman Sue Finkam tells The Indianapolis Star  the closure is going to be disruptive as many drivers head onto city streets in order to get around. Still, she says she's glad highway officials decided to shut down the road rather than stagger the work over several years.
 
       The Carmel work is part of a $1.2 billion reconstruction project for U.S. 31 linking Indianapolis and South Bend.