BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — The next section of the Interstate 69 extension in southern Indiana is due to open next week, connecting Bloomington with Evansville.

The Evansville Courier & Press and The (Bloomington) Herald-Times reported Wednesday that the 27-mile Section 4 between Bloomington and Naval Support Activity Crane will open Dec. 9. Gov. Mike Pence is expected to attend the ribbon-cutting at the WestGate Academy in an industrial complex adjacent to naval facility.

The opening of Section 4 will allow motorists for the first time to drive from Evansville to Indianapolis through Bloomington using only multilane highways. The first three sections covering 67 miles between Evansville and Crane opened in 2012.

Section 5 now under construction follows the path of existing Indiana 37 between Bloomington and Martinsville.