Update on I-69 Extension in Indiana

[silverback1065]

I believe the little gap from 41 to green river will be called 169, but knowing indot they're try and reroute 41 onto that.  Is this little gap signed as anything right now? Maybe "to i-69"?

[iBallasticwolf2]

I believe the little gap from 41 to green river will be called 169, but knowing indot they're try and reroute 41 onto that.  Is this little gap signed as anything right now? Maybe "to i-69"?

According to I-164's Wikipedia article the orphan part of I-164 left in Evansville is still I-164 but not signed.

[silverback1065]

Interesting

[iBallasticwolf2]

Considering the orphan section of I-164 left is not even 2/3 of a mile it probably doesn't even need a numbered designation similar to how Keystone Avenue north of Indy works.

[silverback1065]

Considering the orphan section of I-164 left is not even 2/3 of a mile it probably doesn't even need a numbered designation similar to how Keystone Avenue north of Indy works.

Fair point, I think the shortest route in Indiana is SR 134 (that's signed)
Not sure why indot still wants that road.

[mukade]

I believe the little gap from 41 to green river will be called 169, but knowing indot they're try and reroute 41 onto that.  Is this little gap signed as anything right now? Maybe "to i-69"?

It is marked as I-69 up to US 41 despite the lack of the "ENDS" shield.

Fair point, I think the shortest route in Indiana is SR 134 (that's signed)
Not sure why indot still wants that road.

I believe SR 520 is shorter (if it still exists).

[silverback1065]

I believe the little gap from 41 to green river will be called 169, but knowing indot they're try and reroute 41 onto that.  Is this little gap signed as anything right now? Maybe "to i-69"?

It is marked as I-69 up to US 41 despite the lack of the "ENDS" shield.

Fair point, I think the shortest route in Indiana is SR 134 (that's signed)
Not sure why indot still wants that road.

I believe SR 520 is shorter (if it still exists).

O ya, you might be right and I believe it does still exist.

[tdindy88]

SR 134 connects US 136 to the Indiana Girl's School (if it's still that, I'm not sure,) and I think INDOT has a thing of making sure state facilities like prisons or state parks are connected to the state highway system, I'm guessing at least. As for the lack of an I-69 End sign, I would only speculate that they are saving that for the I-69 bridge, which will be the real ending point for 69 across Indiana.

And looking over at that thread on this forum about the highway signs that have be put into decimals, such as Mile marker 68.9, I'm happy we don't have to do our interstate shields like that.

[silverback1065]

SR 134 connects US 136 to the Indiana Girl's School (if it's still that, I'm not sure,) and I think INDOT has a thing of making sure state facilities like prisons or state parks are connected to the state highway system, I'm guessing at least. As for the lack of an I-69 End sign, I would only speculate that they are saving that for the I-69 bridge, which will be the real ending point for 69 across Indiana.

And looking over at that thread on this forum about the highway signs that have be put into decimals, such as Mile marker 68.9, I'm happy we don't have to do our interstate shields like that.

That's true and I think it's the women's prison now.

[NWI_Irish96]

I believe the little gap from 41 to green river will be called 169, but knowing indot they're try and reroute 41 onto that.  Is this little gap signed as anything right now? Maybe "to i-69"?

It is marked as I-69 up to US 41 despite the lack of the "ENDS" shield.

Fair point, I think the shortest route in Indiana is SR 134 (that's signed)
Not sure why indot still wants that road.

I believe SR 520 is shorter (if it still exists).

O ya, you might be right and I believe it does still exist.

Yes it still exists.  I drove it last month--the whole thing.

[ITB]

Friday afternoon, I motored down to eastern Greene County to view the progress of Interstate 69 in Segments 5, 6 & 7. Generally, lots of good to report, but some questions as well. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Photos were taken August 21, 2015, unless otherwise identified.


Looking north from near Hobbieville Road in Greene County (Segment 5). Milestone Contractors (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segments 4/5/6a).


Another view from Hobbieville Road; looking north. Milestone Contractors.


The view from Hobbieville Road; looking south. Final preps before laying the base and sub-base aggregates. Milestone Contractors


The bridge that will carry Hobbieville Road over I-69; looking west. Milestone Contractors.


A crew at work placing turf in the median; looking north from near Hobbieville Road. Milestone Contractors.

[ITB]

On to the next set. Photos were taken August 21, 2015, unless otherwise identified.


Looking south from near the future I-69/State Road 445 interchange. The stretch of mainline between Carmichael Road and the interchange is now paved. E & B Paving, prime contractor (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segments 6/7).


A more expansive view of the road and the SR 445 interchange; looking south. Work has not yet begun on the two roundabouts.


Crews for prime contractor E & B Paving working hard to form the roadbed for the interstate at Carter Road in Monroe County, Indiana. The eventual roadbed base has been reached, I believe, and is visible as the patch of dirt where the two excavators with hammer attachments are pounding away; looking east from near Carter Road.


Excavating dirt and rock for the mainline at Carter Road in Monroe County; looking east. E & B Paving, contractor.


The view looking northeast from Carter Road. E & B Paving, contractor


Large scale excavation activities underway near Carter Road in Monroe County; looking south. E & B Paving, contractor.


A Komatsu HM400 Articulated Dump Truck loaded up and headed to the dump site just off Carter Road in Monroe County; looking west from near Carter Road. E & B Paving, contractor.

If I've incorrectly identified the dump truck, please let me know. Thanks!

Want more I-69 construction pics? Check out https://www.flickr.com/photos/132926214@N07/

[roadman65]

Nice photos.  Great captioning of the progress.

[ITB]

A few words about what's going on near Carter Road. First off, here's another pic:



A large-scale and impressive cut excavation is now underway at and near Carter Road in Monroe County. I counted three bucket excavators, two excavators with hammer attachments, at least four bulldozers, and 12—15 (maybe more) articulated dump trucks in operation. The pictures I took, unfortunately, do not convey the scope and scale of the work involved, nor how truly active the construction site was. Having said that, I must admit that when I crested the hill for a look, I was expecting to see embankment work and, perhaps, initial grading activity, not the busting up of rock.

Whoa, baby, I thought. They've got some work to do here and not all that much time to do it. I don't know how late into the Indiana autumn paving with concrete can take place, but I imagine once the deep freezes begin to occur, it's got to be really challenging. Maybe I'm wrong, but that creates a quasi deadline of late October or early November for paving to be completed. That's only 10—12 weeks away.

But then I got to thinking about this big cut excavation and did some figuring. I'm no road engineer or construction manager (in fact, I've never been involved in construction), but the amount of material that can possibly be excavated and dumped in, say, a week, is remarkable. Here's how I figure it:

- 3 bucket excavators, each supported by 4 or 5 dump trucks
- each dump truck makes 20 dumps per day; over a 10 hour day that equals a reasonable one dump per 1/2 hour

20 dumps/day x 12 trucks = 240 dumps per day
20 dumps/day x 15 trucks = 300 dumps per day

240 dumps/day x 6 working days/week* = 1440 dumps/week
300 dumps/day x 6 working days/week* = 1800 dumps/week

*Saturday work is a given (and maybe Sunday, too), particularly as it's now crunch time–finish by the end of the year or wait until spring.

2 weeks/12 working days = 2880 dumps (12 trucks) or 3600 dumps (15 trucks)

3600 dumps. That's a whole lot of material. And that's just 12 working days with 3 excavators and 15 trucks.

The construction zone in and around Carter Road, I imagine, will look very different in two or three weeks. I'll be sure to check it out. Will we see night work? Perhaps. It depends on the weather, etc. But about 1 1/4 mile of terrain needs to be whipped into shape and then paved in the not too distant future. Why risk a wet October?

Want more I-69 construction pics? Check out https://www.flickr.com/photos/132926214@N07/

[silverback1065]

A few words about what's going on near Carter Road. First off, here's another pic:



A large-scale and impressive cut excavation is now underway at and near Carter Road in Greene County. I counted three bucket excavators, two excavators with hammer attachments, at least four bulldozers, and 12—15 (maybe more) articulated dump trucks in operation. The pictures I took, unfortunately, do not convey the scope and scale of the work involved, nor how truly active the construction site was. Having said that, I must admit that when I crested the hill for a look, I was expecting to see embankment work and, perhaps, initial grading activity, not the busting up of rock.

Whoa, baby. I thought. They've got some work to do here and not all that much time to do it. I don't know how late into the Indiana fall paving with concrete can take place, but I imagine once the deep freezes begin to occur, it's got to be really challenging. Maybe I'm wrong, but that creates a quasi deadline of late October or early November for paving to be completed. That's only 10—12 weeks away.

But then I got to thinking about this big cut excavation and did some figuring. I'm no road engineer or construction manager (in fact, I've never been involved in construction), but the amount of material that can possibly be excavated and dumped in, say, a week, is remarkable. Here's how I figure it:

- 3 bucket excavators, each supported by 4 or 5 dump trucks
- each dump truck makes 20 dumps per day; over a 10 hour day, that's averages to one dump each 1/2 hour

20 dumps/day x 12 trucks = 240 dumps per day
20 dumps/day x 15 trucks = 300 dumps per day

240 dumps/day x 6 working days/week = 1440 dumps/week
300 dumps/day x 6 working days/week = 1800 dumps/week

2 weeks/12 working days = 2880 dumps (12 trucks) or 3600 dumps (15 trucks)

3600 dumps. That's a whole lot of material. And that's just 12 working days with 3 excavators and 15 trucks.

The construction zone in and around Carter Road, I imagine, will look very different in two or three weeks. I'll be sure to check it out. Will we see night work? Perhaps. It depends. Weather, etc. But about 1 1/4 mile of terrain needs to be whipped into shape and then paved in the not too distant future. Why risk a wet October?

I'd have to check with the indot design manual again but I think you can pour concrete down to 45° after that you can only do it under special circumstances or something like that. Hma has similar rules but they also stop making it late in the year as well. 

[ITB]

Late Sunday afternoon I traveled over to the I-69 construction zones again, with the intention of getting a more complete picture on the state of affairs, in particular at W. Carter Road in Monroe County. Although it looks rather nasty and rough in the Carter Road vicinity, prime contractor E & B Paving seems to have a firm grip, and appears to be taking care of business in timely fashion.

The actual cut and excavation, while truly extensive, doesn't cover all that much ground, length wise. The breaking up and excavation of bedrock appears to be the main issue at hand; it's time consuming. But the equipment and crews on hand to do the job is impressive. I earlier reported 12—15 articulated dump trucks on site; it's actually 20. There are up to 7 excavators and at least 4 bulldozers. Moreover, as work shifts south from Breeden Road, where paving is expected to begin September 8, weather contingent, all activities will then be focused in the vicinity of Carter Road for the final push. Will they get it done? ... Of course they will. If I sounded a tad alarmist in my previous post, my apologies. Nevertheless, I hold out hope that we'll see some night work, just ... just in case ... a extended spell of wet weather descends in either September or October.

Here's a couple of pics that were taken August 23, plus a diagram of the area under discussion.


Looking north from W. Carter Road in Monroe County, Indiana. E & B Paving, prime contractor (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segment 6/7).


From near W. Carter Road, looking south.


Another view of mainline construction, from about a 100 yards south of W. Carter Road, looking south; the I-69/SR 445 interchange, while not visible, is near the small bump just after the beginning of the pavement.


The red line indicates the area of the extensive cut and excavation now underway in the vicinity of W. Carter Road. The line represents a length of exactly 3/4 of a mile; however, the actual deep excavation and cut with rock involved is likely significantly shorter.

More pics to come.

Want more I-69 construction photos? Check out https://www.flickr.com/photos/132926214@N07/

[IndyAgent]

I wonder why in.gov is not updating the progress on their site, the last update was July 13th and they usually have updates by the 18th

[ITB]

More pics ... as promised. Photos were taken August 23, 2015, unless otherwise noted.


Long stretch of Interstate 69, paved up, with work to form the asphalt shoulders ongoing; looking west from Burch Road in Monroe County, Indiana. The mainline bridges in the background are those carrying I-69 over first Breeden Road, then Indian Creek. E & B Paving, prime contractor (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segments 6/7).


Looking east from Burch Road in Monroe County. Around the bend and then some is the Harmony Road bridge.


And this is the view from Harmony Road bridge, looking west.


Again, from Harmony Road bridge, but looking east. This construction zone is the western end of Segment 8. The Rockport Road overpasses are around the bend. E. S. Wagner Co., prime contractor (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segment 8).


Another view east from Harmony Road bridge.

Check out more I-69 construction photos at https://www.flickr.com/photos/132926214@N07/

[bmeiser]

That view from harmony road looking west is eerily cool.

[IndyAgent]

http://www.in.gov/indot/projects/i69/2370.htm

no progress in a month on section 1??


Am I am curious how the final four sections will be done by the end of the year as almost promised

It took them 3 years to get to 75/76% so how do they complete 25% in four months,   just seems off to me

[ITB]

http://www.in.gov/indot/projects/i69/2370.htm

no progress in a month on section 1??


Am I am curious how the final four sections will be done by the end of the year as almost promised

It took them 3 years to get to 75/76% so how do they complete 25% in four months,   just seems off to me

Indeed, it does seem a little odd. A few weeks ago I spoke with INDOT concerning the completion map and learned it's based on monetary contractual disbursements, as opposed to actual construction completion. However, INDOT found that the percent of contractual disbursements roughly equates to the percentage of actual completion, so they feel comfortable with what's stated on the map.

Evidently, between July 13th and August 18th, some contractors received only modest contractual disbursements; Segment 1 contractor, Crider & Crider, appears to have received no additional monies. Then at 96% completion, Segment 1 is ready to open now. Until INDOT gives the final sign off, forwards the last check, and closes the contract, it will likely stay at 96%. The contract might close late this year or sometime next year; it depends whether any issues, however small, remain to be resolved.

As for the reported 96% completion for Segment 2 (Millstone Weber/Kolb J.V.)  and 90% for Segment 3 (White Construction), the actual percentage of construction completion may be a little less. Nevertheless, progress on these segments is nearing the finishing line.

In regards to Segments 4—9, all reported to be either 75 or 76% complete, those figures are probably low. The four contractors for these segments–Milestone Contractors (Segments 4/5/6a); E & B Paving (Segments 6/7); E. S. Wagner Co. (Segment 8); and Crider & Crider (Segment 9)–appear to be father along than that; completion percentages in the range of 80—90% seem more accurate.

[IndyAgent]

Thanks for clearing that up

[mgk920]

That section is going to be an amazing high-speed 'parkway' type of a ride once the trees on the cut and fill work on either side have a chance to mature in 30-40 years or so, like many of the 'original' interstates now are.



Mike

[thefro]

A new I-69 Section 5 newsletter is up on the I-69 Section 5 site

Looks like they have things going full-blast.

[Henry]

Back to the I-164 thing: My guess is that it's now a silent concurrency that ends at I-64? Or is it simply just I-69?