Update on I-69 Extension in Indiana

[Alps]

Or you could just brute force memorize them.  It's what people do to remember facts in school, so how hard can it be?

That was my least favorite part of school.

[Scott5114]

Who memorizes exit numbers?

[silverback1065]

Who memorizes exit numbers?

Seriously, I don't know why INDOT thought people would get confused, most people memorize the road name on the exit, not the number!  Besides, it isn't even hard to get used to the new number if they used 184 instead of 200, do they really think people are that stupid?

[NE2]

Who memorizes exit numbers?

Emergency responders?

[PurdueBill]

Who memorizes exit numbers?

Seriously, I don't know why INDOT thought people would get confused, most people memorize the road name on the exit, not the number!  Besides, it isn't even hard to get used to the new number if they used 184 instead of 200, do they really think people are that stupid?

There is a lot of stuff out there like mapping software, car GPS systems, travel brochures and books, etc. etc. etc. that requires changing over for audiences way beyond those who live right near the road or use it daily.  Making it easy to convert the old numbers to new ones just makes sense to ease the confusion that will linger for some time.  Reversing the argument, if the name of the road at the exit is so much more important than the number, then why sweat the 200 vs. 184 thing at all?  (Throwing in the fact that the southern few miles aren't set in stone and the 184 is plus or minus a little, why sweat it?  The solution they chose is the easiest for everyone.  Heck, a couple weeks ago passing by at the southern end of 469, I saw that they added a numeral 2, instead of replacing the tab, on at least one sign to give Exit 296A for I-469.  Much easier than changing it to whatever 96+184 comes out to.  )

[vdeane]

Who memorizes exit numbers?

I do, as do people at NYSDOT.  Note that NY is sequential though.

[Henry]

Who memorizes exit numbers?

I do, as do people at NYSDOT.  Note that NY is sequential though.

As is every New England state except Maine (which, along with Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania, dropped the sequential numbering system in 2000 or so).

Much easier than changing it to whatever 96+184 comes out to.  )

Which would be 280.

[mukade]

For the INDOT letting of September 12, bids were accepted for the second to the last project of I-69 section 4. This is from taylor Ridge Road to Plummers Creek in Greene County - so this starts about four miles east of US 231, I believe. Only two bids were submitted and neither were under the engineer's estimate. I am not familiar with the terrain (I assume it is pretty hilly), but the low bid was around $178M and the high bid was around $237M.

For the August 8 letting, INDOT documents show that E S Wagner Company was awarded the I-69 section 4 contract in Monroe County for around $57.5M. Seven companies submitted bids in that letting. That bid was about $11.5M below the engineer's estimate.

[silverback1065]

The renumbering doesn't bother me I just don't see how it would be any different for people driving if the numbers change.

[jnewkirk77]

For the INDOT letting of September 12, bids were accepted for the second to the last project of I-69 section 4. This is from taylor Ridge Road to Plummers Creek in Greene County - so this starts about four miles east of US 231, I believe. Only two bids were submitted and neither were under the engineer's estimate. I am not familiar with the terrain (I assume it is pretty hilly), but the low bid was around $178M and the high bid was around $237M.

For the August 8 letting, INDOT documents show that E S Wagner Company was awarded the I-69 section 4 contract in Monroe County for around $57.5M. Seven companies submitted bids in that letting. That bid was about $11.5M below the engineer's estimate.

It's definitely hilly.  I expect we'll see a lot of earth moving and soon.

[tdindy88]

I had to make an impromptu trip up to Fort Wayne and drove all the way to the Toll Road and back on my return trip to check out the renumbering. In short, the renumbering is basically complete throughout in both directions. The only exceptions are around the construction zone on the north side of Fort Wayne near the Union Chapel Road exit and I assume those will be fixed when that project is over. None of the services signs have been changed over and the button copy signs I have mentioned before in Madison and Delaware Counties remain, although I'm sure no one is complaining.

[mukade]

The only exceptions are around the construction zone on the north side of Fort Wayne near the Union Chapel Road exit and I assume those will be fixed when that project is over.

Once the new Union Chapel Rd. exit is open, the DuPont Rd (SR 1) interchange will be rebuilt as a diverging diamond, and there will be new signs installed.

[silverback1065]

The only exceptions are around the construction zone on the north side of Fort Wayne near the Union Chapel Road exit and I assume those will be fixed when that project is over.

Once the new Union Chapel Rd. exit is open, the DuPont Rd (SR 1) interchange will be rebuilt as a diverging diamond, and there will be new signs installed.

The divering diamond is awesome first one in Indiana I believe. 

[agentsteel53]

The divering diamond is awesome first one in Indiana I believe.

[sd72667]

For the INDOT letting of September 12, bids were accepted for the second to the last project of I-69 section 4. This is from taylor Ridge Road to Plummers Creek in Greene County - so this starts about four miles east of US 231, I believe. Only two bids were submitted and neither were under the engineer's estimate. I am not familiar with the terrain (I assume it is pretty hilly), but the low bid was around $178M and the high bid was around $237M.

For the August 8 letting, INDOT documents show that E S Wagner Company was awarded the I-69 section 4 contract in Monroe County for around $57.5M. Seven companies submitted bids in that letting. That bid was about $11.5M below the engineer's estimate.

Yes, this area is very "hilly". They have already cleared a huge path east of 231 up to IN 45 and beyond. The terrain is hills and valleys. This section is supposed to be finished in 2 years?

[tdindy88]

Sure, it will just be a very busy two years. If they can build some 60 miles of interstate in two to three years, then building a 20-some mile stretch in Greene and Monroe Counties shouldn't be a hassle. But the terrain will make it the most difficult section to build undoubtably. Looking a few pages back to the bit about US 231 being considered the temporary route for I-69 from Crane north to I-69 I started thinking: is is wise to be sending the interstate-bound traffic through Bloomfield, Worthington and Spencer? I've seen traffic get heavy through Bloomfield and I know there was talk about a bypass for Spencer, and INDOT wants to send Indianapolis-bound traffic up this way? When I went down SR 45 from Bloomington to Crane earlier this summer to check out the construction, I noticed that 45 wasn't too bad of a drive once you left SR 54 in eastern Greene County to Crane. Sure the section in Monroe County is a bit windy, but wouldn't SR 45 along with SR 37 be a better temporary route than 231?

[mukade]

I agree that the Bloomfield alternatives are poor, but the problem with SR 45 is when commuters to and from Bloomington and to and from Crane hit the road. It can be pretty solid traffic. That is why I thought SR 58 east to SR 37 would be the least problematic even if it is not the shortest.

[tdindy88]

Fair enough, I was traveling on a Saturday down SR 45, so the commuter traffic wasn't present. Didn't think about 45 and 58 east to Bedford, that wouldn't be too bad for an alternative.

[mukade]

Yes, this area is very "hilly". They have already cleared a huge path east of 231 up to IN 45 and beyond. The terrain is hills and valleys. This section is supposed to be finished in 2 years?

I am pretty sure this is the section from 4 miles east of US 231 to somewhere west of, but near SR 45. Other contracts have been let from SR 45 almost up to SR 37.

[Henry]

And it continues to inch closer to Indy by the minute

[digitalphiltv]

And it continues to inch closer to Indy by the minute

At the rate, it feels like, of one inch per minute. 

[mukade]

And it continues to inch closer to Indy by the minute

At the rate, it feels like, of one inch per minute. 

An inch per minute would take almost 20 years - and it likely will take that long to complete it to I-465. The more positive way to look at it (assuming that $177M bid for 5-6 miles is accepted) is that about 90 continuous miles will be under construction. I can't remember the last time that happened, but I assume it was in the 1970s.

[silverback1065]

it would have been nice for them to have finished it to 37 then the temp route would have been sr 37 a much better route for the thru traffic

[Rick Powell]

And it continues to inch closer to Indy by the minute

At the rate, it feels like, of one inch per minute. 

An inch per minute would take almost 20 years - and it likely will take that long to complete it to I-465. The more positive way to look at it (assuming that $177M bid for 5-6 miles is accepted) is that about 90 continuous miles will be under construction. I can't remember the last time that happened, but I assume it was in the 1970s.

When I worked on I-55 in IL, we had about 200 miles of the route under construction at once, in aproximately 7-to-10 mile team sections.  We had about 4 full time inspection and management personnel per section, augmented by about 10-15 seasonal help, plus hundreds of contractors and union personnel in peak periods.  Those sleepy little towns never had so much of an economic jolt with hundreds of customers at the local restaurants, bars and grocery stores.

[mukade]

When I worked on I-55 in IL, we had about 200 miles of the route under construction at once, in aproximately 7-to-10 mile team sections.  We had about 4 full time inspection and management personnel per section, augmented by about 10-15 seasonal help, plus hundreds of contractors and union personnel in peak periods.  Those sleepy little towns never had so much of an economic jolt with hundreds of customers at the local restaurants, bars and grocery stores.

In the Rand McNally road atlases way back, I remember seeing the red US 66 route fairly quickly become the green I-55 one so it must have happened in a relatively short time. I-64 in Illinois was also done in a single shot if I remember correctly.

Back to I-55, the areas near St. Louis, Springfield, Bloomington, and Chicago (south of Joliet northward) had already been built so I thought there were three stretches of roughly 50-60 miles each that were built in the same general timeframe. It was impressive to be sure, but when and where was the last 90 straight mile stretch built anywhere?