Update on I-69 Extension in Indiana

[abqtraveler]

Agreed. I also agree that October of 2017 is a stretch. I think if nothing else, that will be the time in which all the stoplights and the highway is effectively a freeway. Similar in approach to how US 31 was "finished" at the end of 2015 in Carmel even though the last two interchanges were still well under construction. They could still be building the Sample and Tapp interchanges while claiming that the highway is "finished."

i think the term they use is "substantially complete" which i guess means the mainline is done.

Once we get beyond winter, I suspect the contractor will go "balls to the wall" to get it done by October.  I doubt anyone will tolerate any further delay.

[Captain Jack]

It is obvious that SR 37 is more than sufficient to service the needs of the community.  What a waste.

A waste to who? Some clown in Tennessee who keeps posting that Henderson is better off with a traffic snarled US 41, than a full fledged interstate highway.

Everyone has a right to post their opinion, but please, bring some intelligence once in a while.

[hbelkins]

It is obvious that SR 37 is more than sufficient to service the needs of the community.  What a waste.

A waste to who? Some clown in Tennessee who keeps posting that Henderson is better off with a traffic snarled US 41, than a full fledged interstate highway.

Everyone has a right to post their opinion, but please, bring some intelligence once in a while.

Roads aren't meant to serve only those who live in that community. Even if I-69 wasn't being built all the way from Evansville to Indy, my understanding of IN 37 is such that a freeway upgrade to connect Bloomington and Indy might be beneficial on its own.

[thefro]

It is obvious that SR 37 is more than sufficient to service the needs of the community.  What a waste.

A waste to who? Some clown in Tennessee who keeps posting that Henderson is better off with a traffic snarled US 41, than a full fledged interstate highway.

Everyone has a right to post their opinion, but please, bring some intelligence once in a while.

Roads aren't meant to serve only those who live in that community. Even if I-69 wasn't being built all the way from Evansville to Indy, my understanding of IN 37 is such that a freeway upgrade to connect Bloomington and Indy might be beneficial on its own.

AADT is 20k-40k+ through that stretch (highest in Bloomington and as you get closer to Indianapolis).  It supposedly was on the schedule to get upgraded to a full freeway even before I-69 between Evansville/Bloomington was built as new terrain.

[mvak36]

Delayed to May 2018  : http://www.indystar.com/story/news/fox59/2017/02/13/-69-construction-deadline-pushed-back/97848996/

[Buck87]

Delayed to May 2018  : http://www.indystar.com/story/news/fox59/2017/02/13/-69-construction-deadline-pushed-back/97848996/

From that article:

Four lanes of traffic, two north bound and two south bound, to be continuously open through the greater Bloomington area beginning on August 15, 2017.
Four lanes will be open from Sample Road to Martinsville for student move-in and home football and basketball games beginning August 15, 2017.
The section north of Sample Road to Martinsville also will open to four lanes of traffic continuously no later than March 31, 2018.
Completion of Section 5 by May 31, 2018.

So it sounds like the Sample Rd-Martinsville section will be constantly going back and forth between 4 and <4 lanes open from August until possibly March. That ought to be interesting.

[thefro]

Delayed to May 2018  : http://www.indystar.com/story/news/fox59/2017/02/13/-69-construction-deadline-pushed-back/97848996/

From that article:

Four lanes of traffic, two north bound and two south bound, to be continuously open through the greater Bloomington area beginning on August 15, 2017.
Four lanes will be open from Sample Road to Martinsville for student move-in and home football and basketball games beginning August 15, 2017.
The section north of Sample Road to Martinsville also will open to four lanes of traffic continuously no later than March 31, 2018.
Completion of Section 5 by May 31, 2018.

So it sounds like the Sample Rd-Martinsville section will be constantly going back and forth between 4 and <4 lanes open from August until possibly March. That ought to be interesting.

They've already been doing this for move-in day at Indiana University & home football games on the project.

Basically there's 15k+ people who come down that route to games (mainly from the Indianapolis area).  There are bad backups, especially after the game is over.   If they had the road down to 2-lanes it'd take people 5 hours to get home.

[silverback1065]

finally was able to drive the entire new section of 69 down to evansville and back, here are my obseravations:

the highway is extremely low traffic, even though it's connected to 37 now.  i see why it's called the indiana autobahn, i saw only one cop the whole way, you could easily go 90+mph. 

i like the fact the road is mostly concrete, the asphalt sections seem completely random.  must have been a different contract in those areas.

there are absolutely no mileage signs which i found annoying, no indication on how far away evansville was or any other city along the route.

the gibson county signage is weird, they posted the name of all the overpassing streets on the top of the embankment, i've never seen this before i don't like it. 

there were at least 2 bgs missing. 

almost no bbs, but i think this is because there is still nothing along this road. 

there aren't enough exits on this route, i know a few were scrapped to save money, but there's easily over 10 miles in between exists most of the time, don't be low on gas on this road!

it has what has to be the highest overpass in the state at mm 109, not sure what road that is.

the bloomington portion is slowly moving along, vernal pike is done, sr 45 is still under construction, sr 48 nothing but the new piers are done.  the highway is 4 lanes wide now, with a 2 lane portion near martinsville.

Isn't 69 supposed to be 6 lanes from Indy to Bloomington? or was it just til sample road?

Absolutely nothing has happened just outside of Bloomington to the 2 lane portion (Morgan Monroe county line area). 

I know this is all very late, but I still wanted to post my thoughts anyway. 

[andy]

Snipped from email received from indot@subscriptions.in.gov;

INDIANAPOLIS (March 17, 2017) — The final leg of Interstate 69 from Evansville to Indianapolis is one step closer to reality with the release of its Tier 2 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  In addition to increasing economic activity in the corridor, exhaustive studies and public input conclude that I-69 Section 6 will improve safety and travel times between Martinsville and Indianapolis.

The Draft EIS recommends a preferred route and footprint for the 26 miles of new and upgraded highway, including the location and types of 10 exits, 16 overpasses or underpasses and new local access roads. The draft document estimates the maximum potential impact that I-69 Section 6 construction could have on homes, businesses and natural resources, and identifies mitigation measures.

...snip...

Public review and comment

The complete Draft EIS, more than 1,500 pages, is available for public review online at www.in.gov/indot/projects/i69/2515.htm. The public may submit written comments on the document and its recommendations through May 8 via the comment form at www.in.gov/indot/projects/i69/2463.htm or by mail to the I-69 Section 6 project office, 7847 Waverly Road, Martinsville, IN 46151.

In addition, INDOT will host two public meetings from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Perry Meridian High School, 401 W. Meridian School Rd. in Indianapolis, on Thursday, April 6 and Martinsville High School, 1360 E. Gray St. in Martinsville, on Monday, April 10. Each meeting will begin with an open house followed by a formal presentation and public-comment period in the school auditorium beginning at 6:30 p.m.

...

See full message at https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/INDOT/bulletins/18de277

[jnewkirk77]

finally was able to drive the entire new section of 69 down to evansville and back, here are my obseravations:

the highway is extremely low traffic, even though it's connected to 37 now.  i see why it's called the indiana autobahn, i saw only one cop the whole way, you could easily go 90+mph. 

i like the fact the road is mostly concrete, the asphalt sections seem completely random.  must have been a different contract in those areas.

there are absolutely no mileage signs which i found annoying, no indication on how far away evansville was or any other city along the route.

the gibson county signage is weird, they posted the name of all the overpassing streets on the top of the embankment, i've never seen this before i don't like it. 

there were at least 2 bgs missing. 

almost no bbs, but i think this is because there is still nothing along this road. 

there aren't enough exits on this route, i know a few were scrapped to save money, but there's easily over 10 miles in between exists most of the time, don't be low on gas on this road!

it has what has to be the highest overpass in the state at mm 109, not sure what road that is.

the bloomington portion is slowly moving along, vernal pike is done, sr 45 is still under construction, sr 48 nothing but the new piers are done.  the highway is 4 lanes wide now, with a 2 lane portion near martinsville.

Isn't 69 supposed to be 6 lanes from Indy to Bloomington? or was it just til sample road?

Absolutely nothing has happened just outside of Bloomington to the 2 lane portion (Morgan Monroe county line area). 

I know this is all very late, but I still wanted to post my thoughts anyway.

They've not done a very good job of maintaining/repairing/replacing BGSs that get blown down.  And from what I gather, they're waiting on mileage signs at least until Sec. 5 is done, maybe 6.  (Hopefully they won't -- those are needed!)

Used to be that they put the overpassing road's sign on the bridge itself, but I noticed that too about I-69 ... very weird. Maybe it's cheaper. Given that this stretch of road bears the mark of Daniels, I would damn near guarantee that's why.

Of course, if you want to see signage that's really lacking, come to KYTC District 2 (my part of western KY) ... although it's improving, there's a long way to go.

[ITB]

As mentioned in a previous post, the Tier 2 DEIS for Section 6 was recently released by INDOT. Section 6, which runs from near SR 39 in Martinsville, IN to I-465 in Indianapolis, is the final phase of Indiana's I-69 Corridor Project, and will complete I-69 in Indiana between Evansville and Indianapolis. The Tier 2 document advances INDOT's preferred alternative C4, which primarily uses SR 37, and outlines the specific locations and configurations of all interchanges, overpasses, underpasses, and local access roads. The next and final step in the process before construction begins will be the release of a combined FHWA FEIS and ROD (Record of Decision), which is expected in the first quarter of 2018. Construction of Section 6 is tentatively planned to commence in 2020 and complete by 2026. Cost is projected to be roughly $1.5 billion.

For those not eager to wade through the DEIS, here are some highlights of the more pertinent aspects of Section 6.

Roadway

- The Mainline option selected (M2) will primarily utilize the roadway and median of SR 37. As the existing SR 37 median is between 48' and 60' along certain stretches, slightly below IDM criteria, a cable barrier or double guardrails will be considered at some locations. A typical 4-lane I-69 cross section applying M2 specs will be as follows:

48-60' – Median
4' – Inside Shoulder
12' – Lane
12' – Lane
12' – Outside Shoulder
30' – Clear Zone

In the areas where I-69 will be 6 and 8 lanes, the inside shoulder will be widened to 12 feet, matching the outside shoulder and conforming to IDM standards.

- The number of lanes of I-69 will be 4 (two each direction) throughout Martinsville and up to SR 144. It will be 6 lanes between SR 144 and Southport Road. And from Southport Road to I-465, 8 lanes. The following details the subsections of Section 6, the specified number of lanes, as well as daily traffic projections for the year 2045:

4 Lanes – Indian Creek to SR 39;   50,000 — 53,000 (year 2045 est. projections)
4 Lanes – SR 39 to SR 252 / SR 44;   44,000 — 47,000
4 Lanes – SR 252/SR 44 to Henderson Ford Rd;   46,000 — 47,000
4 Lanes – Henderson Ford Rd to SR 144;   47,000 — 48,000
6 Lanes – SR 144 to Smith Valley Rd;   51,000 — 54,000
6 Lanes – Smith Valley Rd to County Line Rd;  65,000 — 68,000
6 Lanes – County Line Rd to Southport Rd;   77,000 — 81,000
8 Lanes – Southport Rd to I-465;   91,000 — 96,000

Impacts (Relocations – Residential/Business; Right of Way; Etc.)

Because the final configuration of the I-69/Southport Rd. interchange is still to be determined, there are two slightly-differing C4 alternatives that remain under consideration (C4A and C4B), and each shows differing impacts on residential relocations mainly due to whether the Aspen Lake apartment complex on Southport Road will be preserved or condemned depending on the specific interchange configuration ultimately selected.

C4A Alternative – Relocations
142   Single Family Homes
6    Duplex Units
39  Mobile Homes
336   Apartment Units
78  Businesses
1   Place of Worship/School
1   Fire Station

1,129 acres   New Right of Way

C4B Alternative – Relocations     
143   Single Family Homes
6    Duplex Units
39  Mobile Homes
28  Apartment Units
94  Businesses
1   Place of Worship/School
1   Fire Station

1,126 acres – New Right of Way

In a following post, I'll address the Section 6 interchanges and overpasses, their locations and configurations, and well the proposed new local access roads.

Edits: Grammar; minor wording changes and additions for clarity.

[codyg1985]

I know money is probably an issue, but I would at least hope that bridges are made wide enough along Section 6 in case it is needed to be expanded to six lanes at some point in the future.

[silverback1065]

i wonder what will happen to the stub from the future split to 465, will indy take it over, or will it be SR 937?  the portion from where harding street splits to epler will need a name anyway.

[Life in Paradise]

I wouldn't be surprised if INDOT just gives it back over to Marion County to care for and does not assign it a number.  They almost have to keep that exit open due to the numerous truck stops at that locale, as well as industrial traffic north on Harding Street.  Heck, they could just call it Harding Street for the short distance that it goes there south of I-465.

[tdindy88]

Harding Street actually continues several miles due south of that exit, it currently turns off of SR 37 between Banta and Thompson Roads. They could reconfigure that intersection to make Harding Street continuous and any ramps coming off I-69 from the south could be just that, ramps. Entrance and exit ramps don't need names after all.

[silverback1065]

Harding Street actually continues several miles due south of that exit, it currently turns off of SR 37 between Banta and Thompson Roads. They could reconfigure that intersection to make Harding Street continuous and any ramps coming off I-69 from the south could be just that, ramps. Entrance and exit ramps don't need names after all.

The piece between epler and harding will not have a name, are you saying those will just be considered ramps?

[tdindy88]

I'm saying they SHOULD be considered ramps.

[mgk920]

Harding Street actually continues several miles due south of that exit, it currently turns off of SR 37 between Banta and Thompson Roads. They could reconfigure that intersection to make Harding Street continuous and any ramps coming off I-69 from the south could be just that, ramps. Entrance and exit ramps don't need names after all.

The piece between epler and harding will not have a name, are you saying those will just be considered ramps?

From what I've seen so far, I'm thinking that INDOT will be doing the I-69/465 south split in the same schematic manner as they redid the I-74 west split, completely separating the I-69 feed from Harding St.

Mike

[Henry]

Hopefully, I can get to see a completed I-69 through the Hoosier State, although I'm not going to hold my breath for that.

[silverback1065]

Hopefully, I can get to see a completed I-69 through the Hoosier State, although I'm not going to hold my breath for that.

it will happen eventually, especially if they pass this new funding bill.  the only thing that i think will take a while is the bridge over the ohio

[Henry]

Hopefully, I can get to see a completed I-69 through the Hoosier State, although I'm not going to hold my breath for that.

it will happen eventually, especially if they pass this new funding bill.  the only thing that i think will take a while is the bridge over the ohio

Agreed with that! It would be nice to at least be able to drive from Indianapolis to Memphis nonstop.

[Life in Paradise]

Truth is, it's not a big deal to drive on interstates from Indianapolis to Memphis right now.  Going west on I-70 to I-57, then I-55.  Going south I-65 then I-40 from Nashville.  Both of these are not too out of the way.  Being from the Evansville, IN area, I've heard the talk about I-69 for decades.  It was first about having an interstate from Indianapolis to SW Indiana, which for the most part had substandard roads compared to the rest of the state.   The consortium was pulled together when it was thought that additional clout was needed.  Some of these other areas such as SE Arkansas thought an interstate in their area could help overall business.  And Texas, well, they saw the interstate as a way to formalize and improve a trade route from the Brownsville/McAllen area through the eastern part of the state.

For me, I am happy to get an interstate connection to our state capitol.  It's just about 20 years later than it should have been.

[silverback1065]

Truth is, it's not a big deal to drive on interstates from Indianapolis to Memphis right now.  Going west on I-70 to I-57, then I-55.  Going south I-65 then I-40 from Nashville.  Both of these are not too out of the way.  Being from the Evansville, IN area, I've heard the talk about I-69 for decades.  It was first about having an interstate from Indianapolis to SW Indiana, which for the most part had substandard roads compared to the rest of the state.   The consortium was pulled together when it was thought that additional clout was needed.  Some of these other areas such as SE Arkansas thought an interstate in their area could help overall business.  And Texas, well, they saw the interstate as a way to formalize and improve a trade route from the Brownsville/McAllen area through the eastern part of the state.

For me, I am happy to get an interstate connection to our state capitol.  It's just about 20 years later than it should have been.

This highway (imo) should have been built in the original plans to Memphis and that's it.  From a state prospective, I don't understand how at least a state road divided highway wasn't built.  It makes no sense to give a city like Evansville the shaft for so long. 

[hbelkins]

Two traffic lights in Henderson and five or six in Union City. That's not a major inconvenience for anyone driving from Indy to Memphis.

[Georgia]

Two traffic lights in Henderson and five or six in Union City. That's not a major inconvenience for anyone driving from Indy to Memphis.

god do i wish it was only 2 traffic lights in Henderson.
cant wait to make that drive in 3 weeks, especially that stretch