Update on I-69 Extension in Indiana

[theline]

I must confess that I skip over the drivel from the folks stuck in the horse-and-buggy days. I'm content that they'll eventually run out of gas and progress will happen anyway.

Actually horse-and-buggy owners will be well off when gas runs out.

Good one, but I was really referring to the gas-bags running out of gas, not their horseless carriages.

[vtk]

FWIW here is the roundabout design that had been under consideration:

That looks like it was drawn freehand.  With great skill, but freehand nonetheless.

[theline]

^ Yes, a very skillful hand drawing. The artist must be some old fart like me, who has always been doing his drawings by hand.

I know it's a moot point, since the trumpet interchange has been selected by INDOT, but I wonder what purpose is served by the two segments that I've marked in red below. If those are removed, the circle is unneeded and that part of the road can be straightened out.

[NE2]

At least in the short term, those would be useful for local traffic on SR 37 needing to U-turn.

[Alps]

FWIW here is the roundabout design that had been under consideration:
http://imgur.com/lirrL

That looks like it was drawn freehand.  With great skill, but freehand nonetheless.

Ehhhh. I'd say it was drawn BY hand, but using straightedges and French or English curves. (I think those are like French and English horns.)

[theline]

At least in the short term, those would be useful for local traffic on SR 37 needing to U-turn.

I don't think so. Unless I'm seeing this wrong, I-69 is running from the upper left corner to the lower right corner. NB traffic roughly going left to right. SB traffic from right to left. SR-37 approaches from the lower left of the drawing. If a motorist wants to U-turn on 37, he/she just continues across the bridge, looping around the upper roundabout, comes back across the bridge and continues to the lower left. The red segments don't come into play.

The red segments would only be used under two unlikely circumstances: a SB motorist on 69 (right to left) who wants to U-turn to go back north, or a NB motorist on 69 (left to right) who exits and changes his mind, returning to NB 69. I don't think you build roads for either instance.

[NE2]

In the short term I-69 will end here. To the right on the map will be only SR 37 until it's upgraded.

[vtk]

I would guess that design is meant to allow for another local road connection in the future on the west side of I-69.

[theline]

^ Good point. I give. If they had built the intersection with roundabouts, it would have been a good idea to build them on both sides.

[SW Indiana]

Traffic Patterns will Change on U.S. Route 50

WASHINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is announcing that on Monday, November 12, traffic patterns will again change on U.S. Route 50 Washington's east side.

Sometime after morning rush hour, all four lanes (two east bound and two west bound) of U.S. 50 will now be available for motorists traveling through the area.   

The work in this area has been a part of the I-69 Section 2 corridor construction from the White River to just north of U.S. 50.  The contract was awarded to Walsh Construction, Inc. of LaPorte, Indiana in February of 2011.

I-69 from I-64 in Gibson County to U.S. 231 in Greene County is scheduled to be open to the afternoon hours on Monday, November 19.

Contractors were hanging signs off the overpass this afternoon.

[hbelkins]

I-69 from I-64 in Gibson County to U.S. 231 in Greene County is scheduled to be open to the afternoon hours on Monday, November 19.

Based on what I saw on Monday, they are really going to have to hustle to get it done by then.

[mukade]

Funny that after INDOT was criticized for offering too little for land...

Documents raise questions about price of I-69 land purchases (IBJ)

Then again, the Indy Star has been less than objective on its I-69 coverage.

[SW Indiana]

I-69 from I-64 in Gibson County to U.S. 231 in Greene County is scheduled to be open to the afternoon hours on Monday, November 19.

Based on what I saw on Monday, they are really going to have to hustle to get it done by then.

Yea, it wasn't open this afternoon at around 4. It looks complete, except for striping. Contractors were erecting signs (stop, one-way, I-69 shields, etc.) when I drove through at that time.

[Chris]

I was wondering about the I-69 opening next Monday. It is a 67-mile segment that opens. This must be one of the biggest single freeway openings in a very long time. How long ago did a similar or longer freeway open to traffic? It may well be in the 1980s or before I think?

[seicer]

The 1988 opening of I-64 in West Virginia was 36 miles: http://goo.gl/maps/lI9Nz. But it's no 67-miler.

[ShawnP]

I know what I am doing Monday.

Good to be the boss and sked yourself for a historic moment.

[tdindy88]

I have to work Monday and Tuesday, but come Wednesday I'll be making an impromptu visit to Evansville. I wonder what road I might take....

[NWI_Irish96]

I have to work Monday-Wednesday, and it would be a 5-hour round trip for me, so I can't just do it after work some day and don't know how soon I can find time to make the trip. 

[ShawnP]

Totally off subject but I was on Lewis and Clark Parkway today. Had a green light right by Kroger and had just hit the gas. 3 cars ran in front of me headed north bound turning from west bound Lewis and Clark. Cabiness have you ever had problems there? Is it bad light timing or just fools who can't drive. I missed the second car by 3-5 inches after jamming up the brakes. Ok enough thread hijacking........

[theline]

I was wondering about the I-69 opening next Monday. It is a 67-mile segment that opens. This must be one of the biggest single freeway openings in a very long time. How long ago did a similar or longer freeway open to traffic? It may well be in the 1980s or before I think?

Maybe this question should be in the General Highway category, since it would be interesting if a longer segment has opened anywhere in the country.

Totally off subject . . . Lewis and Clark Parkway

Really? I hardly noticed. 

[theline]

An interesting and well-written article from the Princeton Daily Clarion: http://www.tristate-media.com/pdclarion/article_bd7eece6-2faf-11e2-aaff-0019bb2963f4.html

weather will dictate whether the governor rides his motorcycle in a parade ride from the Ind. 68 exchange to the next celebration at 10:40 a.m. near Washington, and on to the third celebration at 12:50 p.m. at Crane.

INDOT officials said this summer that more than 47 million pounds of reinforcing steel will be used in the bridges in the first three sections of the highway, equal to the weight of more than 11,000 Toyota Sienna minivans made near Princeton.

Nearly 115,000 cubic yards of structural concrete (enough to fill up Lucas Oil Stadium six times) is used.

Laid end-to-end, the number of beams used to build the first three sections of the project would circle the Indianapolis Motor Speedway more than nine times.

[theline]

My daughter will be returning to South Bend from Evansville for the holiday. I've suggested she use the new road, though I don't know if she will. She's not as adventurous as most of us geeks.   

[truejd]

I grew up in the Evansville area but now live in South Carolina. For those testing out the new road next week, please post pictures if you can. Much appreciated!

[mukade]

I know what I am doing Monday.

Good to be the boss and sked yourself for a historic moment.

With SR 25, it finally opened after dark, long after the ribbon cutting ceremonies. I wonder what time I-69 will actually open to traffic.

EDIT - I noticed that it opens at 5:00pm in this article.

[NWI_Irish96]

Totally off subject but I was on Lewis and Clark Parkway today. Had a green light right by Kroger and had just hit the gas. 3 cars ran in front of me headed north bound turning from west bound Lewis and Clark. Cabiness have you ever had problems there? Is it bad light timing or just fools who can't drive. I missed the second car by 3-5 inches after jamming up the brakes. Ok enough thread hijacking........

I don't go that far down L&C very often because I'm closer to the Kroger in Jeff, but I don't remember any problems specifically at that intersection.  But yes, there are a lot of fools who can't drive around here.