Update on I-69 Extension in Indiana

Started by mukade, June 25, 2011, 08:55:31 AM

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silverback1065

Quote from: rte66man on May 31, 2020, 01:51:44 PM
Quote from: civeng on May 28, 2020, 10:39:28 AM
Quote from: ITB on May 28, 2020, 12:48:01 AM

Why these flags have been placed in such numbers, and the difference, for instance, between an aqua and a dark blue, I have little idea. If anyone can provide enlightening details, please do.


Probably where wick drains will be placed to speed up soil settlement.

What's a 'wick drain'?

i believe it is used to drain (lower) the water table to allow for a dry foundation for whatever they are building

IndyAgent

My son and I went hiking in Bedford on Saturday as as we drove down 37 it was encouraging to see the crews working on bridges north of Martinsville. Once Martinsville is done the exit I want done ASAP is at 144. Always catch that light.

ITB

Quote from: silverback1065 on May 31, 2020, 06:28:46 PM
Quote from: rte66man on May 31, 2020, 01:51:44 PM
Quote from: civeng on May 28, 2020, 10:39:28 AM
Quote from: ITB on May 28, 2020, 12:48:01 AM

Why these flags have been placed in such numbers, and the difference, for instance, between an aqua and a dark blue, I have little idea. If anyone can provide enlightening details, please do.


Probably where wick drains will be placed to speed up soil settlement.

What's a 'wick drain'?

i believe it is used to drain (lower) the water table to allow for a dry foundation for whatever they are building

Here's a couple of videos that explain and show the installation of wick drains.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smwoxUgrrIg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=metUuJtwx0M


qguy

Good vids. Two questions for the group:

1. What do the colors of the flags represent? Types of wicks? Depths inserted?

2. Where do I go to work on a construction site in flip-flops?  :wow:

rte66man

Quote from: qguy on June 02, 2020, 05:08:26 PM
Good vids. Two questions for the group:

1. What do the colors of the flags represent? Types of wicks? Depths inserted?

2. Where do I go to work on a construction site in flip-flops?  :wow:

I cannot believe they released the video with the flip flops. At the very least it is a severe OSHA violation.   
When you come to a fork in the road... TAKE IT.

                                                               -Yogi Berra

edwaleni

Quote from: rte66man on June 02, 2020, 09:04:04 PM
Quote from: qguy on June 02, 2020, 05:08:26 PM
Good vids. Two questions for the group:

1. What do the colors of the flags represent? Types of wicks? Depths inserted?

2. Where do I go to work on a construction site in flip-flops?  :wow:

I cannot believe they released the video with the flip flops. At the very least it is a severe OSHA violation.

The second video was not made in the US. Therefore no OSHA rules were in force.

Why a wick drain over say a french drain? They serve the same purpose. I would think a french drain with a certain silica type could drain faster without loss of clay.

civeng

Quote from: edwaleni on June 03, 2020, 01:25:13 PM

Why a wick drain over say a french drain? They serve the same purpose. I would think a french drain with a certain silica type could drain faster without loss of clay.

A french drain needs an outlet.  Wick drains are installed in low, wet areas, and the water is wicked upwards to the surface, promoting consolidation.

Captain Jack

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 21, 2020, 03:46:25 PM
Quote from: tdindy88 on May 21, 2020, 03:09:11 PM
Honestly I think Evansville is sufficient from Indianapolis down to roughly the Morgan Avenue and Lloyd Expressway exits. It's a large enough city. Fort Wayne is used for northbound I-69 from Indianapolis so using Evansville almost seems poetic since those two along with Indy are the three largest cities in the state. When I-69 is finished in Kentucky and Tennessee though I fully support usage of Memphis alongside with Evansville from I-64 southward and Memphis south of the Evansville exits. And Kentucky should (but probably will not) use Evansville for northbound across part of the state. The usage of Henderson reeks of the using of Ashland over Huntington along I-64, I fear Henderson will be used for a very long time.
What should Tennessee use for I-69 north?

Correct tdindy. Evansville is already used as the control from Martinsville south, so it will obviously be the south control in Indiana. I would say it should be the control north of Memphis.

Captain Jack

Quote from: sprjus4 on May 21, 2020, 06:06:18 AM
The Elizabethtown reference is merely from when it used to be the Western Kentucky Pkwy, just hasn't changed.

They erected new signs last year. Elizabethtown was used on the new ones.

sprjus4

Quote from: Captain Jack on June 03, 2020, 06:58:16 PM
Quote from: sprjus4 on May 21, 2020, 06:06:18 AM
The Elizabethtown reference is merely from when it used to be the Western Kentucky Pkwy, just hasn't changed.

They erected new signs last year. Elizabethtown was used on the new ones.
It was merely a carbon copy of the old sign with no changes.

SSR_317

Quote from: ITB on June 01, 2020, 03:04:56 PM
Quote from: silverback1065 on May 31, 2020, 06:28:46 PM
Quote from: rte66man on May 31, 2020, 01:51:44 PM
Quote from: civeng on May 28, 2020, 10:39:28 AM
Quote from: ITB on May 28, 2020, 12:48:01 AM

Why these flags have been placed in such numbers, and the difference, for instance, between an aqua and a dark blue, I have little idea. If anyone can provide enlightening details, please do.


Probably where wick drains will be placed to speed up soil settlement.

What's a 'wick drain'?

i believe it is used to drain (lower) the water table to allow for a dry foundation for whatever they are building

Here's a couple of videos that explain and show the installation of wick drains.
Thanks ITB, for the informative videos aboot wick drains (Canadian accent intentional, I miss the CFL)!

thefro

https://i69finishline.com/news/on-track-update-june-15-2020/



The Grand Valley Boulevard overpass is open for traffic today.  Lots of good pictures/construction updates on the I-69 Finish Line site.

Quote from: I-69 Finish LineIT'S OPEN! The first cars have driven across the new Grand Valley Boulevard overpass and the first pedestrians have tried out the new sidewalks. The new overpass opened this morning. It connects Martinsville High School and neighborhoods west of State Road 37 with businesses east of the highway.

This is a milestone for I-69 Finish Line. The Grand Valley overpass is the first of 39 new I-69 bridges to open. Watch this short video to see what Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Joe McGuinness has to say about the big moment and how the new Grand Valley overpass stands as a tribute to Martinsville.

When you cross the new overpass, here are some facts to keep in mind. Be sure to click the links to check out the photos, too!

The bridge is 372 feet long.
The bridge includes 1,500 cubic yards of concrete.
The very visible "M"  on the bridge is a nod to nearby Martinsville High School.
The brick on the MSE walls pays homage to downtown Martinsville, matching the Morgan County Courthouse brick.
The aesthetics of the pier "fin walls"  tie into the fence details and resemble artesian wells as a tribute to the mineral wells in the area.
All of the I-69 project work is carefully coordinated. Grand Valley was the first overpass constructed because it will serve as an important east-west connection during I-69 work at other access points.

X99

Does the new bridge mean South Street is technically a tertiary road to Ohio? (Tertiary in OSM is wider than residential and shows up further out)
why are there only like 5 people on this forum from south dakota

csw

Quote from: qguy on June 02, 2020, 05:08:26 PM
1. What do the colors of the flags represent? Types of wicks? Depths inserted?
The flag colors mean nothing - sorry to disappoint.

As others said, wick drains are used to accelerate clay consolidation. Basically, you make the clay settle now rather than later, so that it doesn't settle underneath the structure after it's built and damage the structure.

The way clay consolidation works is that when a clay layer has a load placed on it, such as a structure or roadway or layer of backfill soil, the load is initially borne by the water in the soil and gradually transferred over to the soil itself as the water leaves it (i.e., it is a time-dependent process). As this water leaves (is forced out by the loading), the soil settles because the void spaces where the water was are now empty. This process of water leaving the soil can take a very long time - often months or years, depending on the soil type and stratigraphy (for example, water drains out of sand instantly, so there is no consolidation over time - it settles instantly. But clays take a lot longer to drain).

What wick drains do is provide a short path for water to drain out once a load is applied to the soil. The rate of settlement is proportional to the square of the drainage distance - basically, the longer distance water has to travel to leave the clay layer, the longer it takes for the soil to settle. For example, if you have a 10' thick clay layer you want to consolidate, it takes a set amount of time to fully settle. But if you install wick drains every 2', it will settle 25 times quicker (10^2 versus 2^2 is a 25:1 ratio).

tl;dr wick drains make construction go more quickly so you can drive the new I-69 sooner.

qguy

Quote from: csw on July 06, 2020, 03:40:29 PM
Quote from: qguy on June 02, 2020, 05:08:26 PM
1. What do the colors of the flags represent? Types of wicks? Depths inserted?
The flag colors mean nothing - sorry to disappoint.

If the colors don't mean anything, why are they different? The workers in the manufacturing plant just happen to reach for random colored materials on different production days?

Are you sure there aren't different material characteristics with different performance profiles?

I know, like the twist ties on some brands of bread, they represent color codes for expiration dates! Amiright? :awesomeface:

csw

I really can't think of a reason they would be different - maybe they're installing the drains to different depths in different places, but I doubt it, since it's hard to know how deep the clay layer is that precisely. I doubt they're installing different types of drains since the design of a wick drain is pretty standard and it's usually easier to buy the same type in bulk rather than different types. I think there's a reasonable possibility that they just had a bunch of different colored flags and wanted to use them up.

edwaleni

More than you wanted to know about industrial drainage including wick drains.

https://www.awd-usa.com/drainage-applications


ITB

#3417
 
Drove up to Morgan County on Saturday, and it rained, hard. Lots of vehicles pulled onto the shoulder to wait it out. When the sun appeared on Sunday I headed out again for a look-see. Photos were taken Sunday, July 12, 2020, unless otherwise noted. To expand the photos, Right Click, etc.

Henderson Ford Road work zone

The future overpass that will carry Henderson Ford Road over State Road 37 (future Interstate 69) in Morgan County, Indiana; looking south.


Looking northeast toward State Road 37 from the future Henderson Ford Road/I-69 overpass and interchange. Note the new frontage road under construction adjacent to the northbound lanes. That road is planned to link into New Harmony Road, located about a half mile past the right bend in the roadway (deep background left).


Different look at the work underway at the site of the future Henderson Ford Road overpass and interchange; looking south.


The approach to the future Henderson Ford Road overpass (not visible, background); looking south. Crews have hauled in an enormous amount of fill material to build up the ground for the new roadway approach.


Another perspective at the future Henderson Ford overpass; looking slightly southeast.

Next up: Waverly Road

ITB


Another batch. Again, photos were taken Sunday, July 12, 2020, unless otherwise noted.

Waverly Road work zone

Work is well underway to construct the overpass that will carry Waverly Road over State Road 37 (future Interstate 69) in northern Morgan County, Indiana; looking south.


Another perspective of the work at the Waverly Road work zone; looking south.


Tubes to be used to construct a culvert in storage near the Waverly Road work zone; looking northeast.


Different look at the Waverly Road overpass and the formwork enclosing the median bent; looking south.


Indiana I-69 Section 6 field office on Waverly Road in Waverly, Indiana. It had been closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but may have recently reopened.


A small section of old Waverly Road over a small culvert near the future Waverly Road overpass; looking south.


The old culvert; looking east. State Road 37 is in the background. Not sure what they're going to do with this old culvert. Dig it up, perhaps? To find out, I'll guess I'll have to dig into the drawings.

That's all for now. I'm hoping to get out again soon to take photos at a few other locations. The frontage roads are showing good progress in a number of locations. Additionally, the southbound mainline bridge over Indian Creek south of Martinsville has been demolished and reconstruction work is underway.



ITB


A few more pictures. Photos were taken Monday, July 14, 2020, unless otherwise noted.

Egbert Road overpass work zone, Morgan County

The future overpass that will carry Egbert Road over State Road 37 (future I-69) in Morgan County, Indiana; looking northeast.


Another perspective of the work underway at the Egbert Road work zone; looking slightly northeast. Quite an unusual build for just an overpass abutment and approach. Crews have excavated a very substantial amount of material. Although the photo doesn't show it, just beyond the orange netting, it's deep, around 15 feet or so. Evidently the soil conditions at this location were very unfavorable for bridge building. On the other side of SR 37 is where the field of wick drains were installed at Egbert work zone (pictured in an earlier post). No wick drains here.

Local Service Road work zone– Old State Rd 37 to Country Club Road, Morgan County

The future new local service road between Old State Road 37 and Country Club Road in Morgan County, Indiana; looking south from near the Myra Lane/State Road 37 intersection. This service, or frontage, road will be extended about a mile south of Country Club Road – right through that little green patch – to link into Morgan Street just north of Martinsville.


Closer look at the new frontage road between Old State Road 37 and Country Club Road. A sliver of Country Club Road is visible in the background, running horizontally across the frame. There are a handful of residential structures along this stretch of construction that are just outside the project's right-of-way. As such, vehicular access to these properties must be maintained at all times. Note the two gravel driveways, jutting off right from the the path of the frontage road.


Another look of the new frontage road; from near the SR 37/Myra Lane crossing; looking south. Myra Lane will be extended via an overpass over SR 37 to link into the new frontage road right about here (foreground).

Henderson Ford Road work zone

The State Road 37/Henderson Ford Road crossing from the future overpass that will carry Henderson Ford Road over SR 37/Interstate 69 in Morgan County, Indiana; looking southwest. Sadly, way too often I've witnessed drivers making dangerous choices at crossings like this. Photo taken July 12, 2020.


Long distance shot looking northeast toward SR 37 from the future Henderson Ford Road overpass. Construction of the new frontage road, which will link into the future I-69/Henderson Ford Road interchange, is well underway. Visible in the background is the tip of the yellow crane at the Stotts Creek work zone. There a bridge is under construction to carry the new frontage road. Photo taken July 12, 2020.

ITB


Went up to Morgan County twice this weekend for look-sees and to get a better feel of how I might access certain locations. I did a lot more walking than I originally planned to do; too much. Hopefully, no chigger bites. So far, so good. Photos were taken Sunday, July 27, 2020, unless otherwise noted.

Henderson Ford Road work zone, Morgan County

The overpass that will carry Henderson Ford Road over State Road 37/Interstate 69 in Morgan County, Indiana; looking north.


Closer look at the south abutment of the Henderson Ford Road overpass; looking north. Signs along SR 37 warm of 20 minute road closures on both July 28 and 29 at Henderson Ford Road. That likely means the placement of the overpass's bridge beams. Looks ready to me.


Looking northeast toward State Road 37 from near the future Henderson Ford Road overpass. The new local access, or frontage, road (deep background, right), which will link into the interchange, continues to take shape.


Landscape view of State Road 37 and nearby terrain from the Henderson Ford Road overpass work zone; looking northeast.


The extension of Henderson Ford Road south of the future I-69/Henderson Ford Road interchange; looking north. The new road will stretch from the interchange to Egbert Road at its juncture with Centennial Road, forming a four-way intersection at that location. The Henderson Ford Road overpass is partially visible in the deep background left.


The extension of Henderson Ford Road; from the other direction, looking south. Egbert Road, which runs horizontally across the frame, is located just in front of the church in the background.


Another perspective of State Road 37 from the Henderson Ford Road work zone; looking northeast.


Just south of Martinsville, work is well underway to replace the bridge that carries southbound State Road 37 over Indian Creek; looking slightly northwest. (Photo was taken July 26, 2020) This is the starting point of Section 6. At this location, all SR 37 traffic is currently using the northbound lanes and bridge. When the southbound bridge completes, all traffic will switched to the that bridge and work will commence on the northbound span. Kind of a hard place to get into to take decent pictures without walking a zillion feet. And did I mention chiggers? Yup, that tall grass and vegetation is chigger territory. The unsightly bites take a month to heal.

That's all for now. Everyone, stay safe and wear your mask!

silverback1065

Hey ITB, have you been around 39 lately? I think they're working on it now, get any photos of that project?

ITB

Quote from: silverback1065 on July 30, 2020, 11:49:29 AM
Hey ITB, have you been around 39 lately? I think they're working on it now, get any photos of that project?

Ask and you shall receive. Would I hold out on you guys? Photos were taken Wednesday, July 29, 2020, unless otherwise noted.

Morton Ave./State Road 39, Martinsville, Morgan County, Indiana

Looking south from near the Morton Ave./SR 39 — Burton Lane crossing in Martsinsville, Morgan County. Crews continue to work to widen Morton Ave./SR 39 to a temporary 4-lane configuration, with curbs added to east side of the road.


Morton Ave./SR 39; looking slightly northwest from near Burton Lane. Upgrades to the underground utility infrastructure is underway.


Near Burton Lane and Morton Ave./SR 39; the pour completed, doing the required cleaning of the mixer before heading back to the plant; looking slightly northwest.


Looking slightly northwest toward Morton Ave./SR 39 from near the Morton Ave. entrance of the Burton Lane shopping center. With storm sewers intakes in place, curb work will soon commence.


Perspective of Morton Ave./SR 39 from near the SR 37/SR 39 interchange; looking slightly northwest.


Closer look of the above view.


The SR 37/SR 39—Morton Ave. interchange; looking south. On the right is the ramp to southbound SR 37. When SR 37 temporarily closes next year for up to one year, all traffic, both northbound and southbound, will be using this ramp (expanded, of course) to either access Interstate 69 (southbound) or to detour around the closure (northbound). Currently, the southbound lanes of SR 37 are torn up between the SR 37/SR 39 interchange and the bridge over Indian Creek. Crews are rebuilding that section of highway, as well as the bridge.

Some of you know of my Flickr account which now contains nearly 4,000 photos and goes back to when to Section 4 was under construction. Pretty sure Silverback does, and he just posted to me a gentle nudge. For those of you who don't, here's the link:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/132926214@N07/with/50169211052/

More photos to come.

ITB


When I drove up to Morgan County on Wednesday, July 29th, my primary goal was to take pictures of the 2nd night beam placement at the Henderson Ford Road overpass. I made sure, however, I had enough time to photograph the construction underway on Morton Ave./SR 39 in Martinsville (pictures above) before heading further north to Henderson Ford. Even though it was past 6 pm I was a little surprised to see work going strong at other work zones, including the Egbert Road overpass and the eastern local access road jutting off north from SR 44.

I arrived at Henderson Ford Road, and then I waited, waited, and waited. I had expected the beam placement operation to get underway around 7 pm, but it was closer to 8 pm before everything was ready and the activity kicked into gear. It was slow, deliberate process very carefully planned. Once, however, the beam was lifted off the truck transport the process of putting it in place happened somewhat quickly, at least that's how it seemed to me. To my vexation, just prior to the beam being lifted clouds rolled over the sun hanging low in the western sky.

Photos were taken Wednesday, July 29, 2020. To expand the pictures, Right Click, or follow your browser prompts, whichever works best.

Henderson Ford Road overpass work zone, Morgan County, Indiana

The future overpass that will carry Henderson Ford Road over State Road 37/Interstate 69; looking northeast. The cemetery – named the Williams Bradford Cemetery – is located about 200 yards south of the present SR 37/Henderson Ford Road crossing. Quite an old cemetery with many of the markers denoting graves of people who died before 1900. Small American flags were placed at some of the graves of those who served in the armed forces, including as far back as the Civil War, the War of 1812, and the Revolutionary War. That's right, a Revolutionary War patriot by the name of Cornelius King (1753-1839; died age 85, 9 months, 19 days) is buried here, as is Cornelius King's son, "Pete" King, who served in the War of 1812. Here's a link to cemetery:

https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1979953/williams-bradford-cemetery


Another perspective of the Henderson Ford Road overpass; looking northeast across a soybean field. The previous evening, Tuesday, July 28th, the beams over the southbound lanes of SR 37 were installed.


Not quite ready to go yet, the truck carrying the first beam remains on standby; looking slightly northeast.


The trucks with the four other beams just south of the SR 37/Henderson Ford Road crossing; looking southwest.


As the operation got underway, all five trucks pulled up toward the overpass work zone and were positioned on left northbound lane. All traffic was stopped for this, but the right lane was soon reopened.


Attaching the crane cables to the first beam to be placed; looking northeast.


Almost ready to lift. Traffic is stopped in both directions.


Into the air.


Guided by crew members manning ropes attached to each end, the beam is slowly turned.


Lowered into position as teams of two, at both the median bent and the abutment, guide the beam to its final destination.


Closer look.


It's gotta be just right. (Using the long range lens.)


Another perspective; looking northeast.


And another view as the placement of the first beam begins to wrap up.

Couple others at Henderson Ford Road:


Crider and Crider – a Bloomington, Indiana, firm – is the prime contractor for the Henderson Ford Road overpass project, as well as all other projects associated with Contract #3, Section 6. This includes overpasses at Egbert Road, Perry Road, and Waverly Road, and several miles of frontage roads.


Another view of the overpass from the Williams Bradford Cemetery; looking northeast. The marker has tumbled over and broken due to the root growth of a nearby tree.

If the weather is good I'll try to get up to Martinsville and Morgan County again in early August.

csw

These are my favorite photos you've posted yet - the step-by-step process of the beams being placed is really cool. The bit of history is great too.


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