It's been talked about before but now it's here. Section 6 will formally commence when the first contract is let on December 12, 2018, just two weeks away. To rehash, under that contract, which will be the smaller of the two for Segment 1 of Section 6 (aka the Martinsville segment), an overpass and new and extended local access, or frontage, roads are to be built. Construction is expected to commence in the spring of 2019. In June of 2019, the second of the two Martinsville contracts—the "big" one—will be let, with heavy construction getting underway by either late fall in 2019 or early spring 2020.
Apart from Segment 5, which will encompass the new I-495/I-69 interchange, Segment 1 may be the most complex and challenging component of Section 6 to be constructed. Upgrading State Road 37 through Martinsville will involve significantly building up the mainline roadway in stretches and lowering it in another. SR 37 will remain open to traffic during the 2020 construction season, but will be closed completely, as is now commonly known, during the 2021 construction season, for a period of about eight to 10 months.
While the impending closure of SR 37 in 2021 is bound to make some people anxious, including probably a good number of INDOT officials, for it can only be surmised how the traffic situation will play out, INDOT has be charged with getting this project completed, in timely fashion, segment after segment, and that they intend to do. INDOT was embarrassed when the private-public partnership building Section 5 floundered and then failed, causing a delay of two years to the completion of Section 5. Because of that experience it's almost a guarantee INDOT will strenuously endeavor to bring off the construction of Section 6 in a systematic, high-performance manner of which it can, and all Hoosiers, be proud. Nothing less will be acceptable, particularly to INDOT. Yes, there is bound to traffic congestion at times, sometimes significant, adding several minutes if not more to commutes and other trips. How can there not be? By any standard, upgrading approximately 23 miles of SR 37 to interstate standards is major project, made all the more difficult due to the necessity of construction happening concurrently, for the most part, in and among free flowing traffic. It may look pretty when viewed on conceptual diagrams, but, in reality, the upgrade will be a time consuming, challenging build that often will involve complex and difficult engineering aspects that few understand and appreciate.
Earlier, there was some hand wringing whether building I-69 has been worth the trouble and cost. As one who has lived in South-Central Indiana for many years, I am deeply appreciative the State of Indiana has invested in building the Evansville to Indianapolis leg of I-69, and am thrilled the project is now approaching its culmination. It's been a long time coming. Interstate 69 is now the most important road in the south-central/south-western sector of Indiana; it is a tremendous infrastructure asset, providing for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods, which, more than likely, will prove its worth time and again with each passing decade. To be sure, there's still about six years of construction to go. But considering how long it has taken for the project to evolve from dream to reality, six years isn't all that long.
Of note, it appears the construction of I-69 in Indiana may have created a spark in other cities and states to upgrade highways to interstate standards, furthering the connection of mid-sized and large metropolitan areas to other metropolitan hubs. In Texas, for example, it's hard to envision US 290 not being upgraded to an interstate between Houston and Austin. Out west in Idaho, if the Boise region continues its rapid growth, there's bound to be a push for an interstate south from Boise to I-80. And, at some point, an interstate probably will be built connecting Reno to Las Vegas. In the Midwest, having an interstate connection between Chicago and Columbus, Ohio, linking in Fort Wayne, might, at some point, be deemed worthy. And that's just to point out a few possibilities, among many. The population of the United States continues to steadily grow. And, or course, more people generally equates to more cars, which dictates that more roads and more lanes miles be built. The Interstate Highway building era of the 1950s/60s and 70s may have long passed, but the upgrading of roads and highways to Interstate standard may only gain momentum in the years ahead.
Edit: typo correction/minor changes for readability
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Topic: Update on I-69 Extension in Indiana (Read 1334047 times)