Update on I-69 Extension in Indiana

[nwi_navigator_1181]

If I remember reading a document that was posted here a while back, I-164 has been done away with in favor of I-69.

[tdindy88]

It's simply I-69.

[ITB]

Pics! Photos were taken September 10, 2015, unless otherwise noted.


Paving the southbound lanes of future I-69 with PCCP, just north of Tramway Road in Monroe County, Indiana; looking northeast. The northbound lanes, from the bridge crossing Happy Creek (a little south of Tramway Road) up to beginning of Segment 9, were paved last week and earlier this week. E. S. Wagner Co., prime contractor; E & B Paving, sub (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segment 8).

The wheelbarrow next to the red pick-up truck is used by a certified technician to verify the properties of the concrete to ensure it is in compliance with AASHTO and INDOT standards.



A more expansive view of the paving operation underway north of Tramway Road in Monroe County.


Southbound mainline on the verge of being paved up; looking south toward the Tramway Road overpasses, and the bridges over Happy Creek.


Stacks of dowel bar assemblies await installation, near Tramway Road. Photo was taken August 27, 2015.


View looking northwest from Harmony Road in Monroe County. Work to build up the asphalt shoulders continues, as well as activity to fix an apparent drainage issue (on the right). E & B Paving, prime contractor (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segment 7). Photo was taken September 4, 2015.

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

[ITB]

More pics! Again, photos were taken September 10, 2015, unless otherwise noted.


Another pic of the paving operation underway north of Tramway Road in Monroe County, Indiana. E. S. Wagner Co., prime contractor; E & B Paving, sub (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segment 8).

The dump trucks are bringing loads of wet batch concrete from a ready-mix concrete facility on Oard Road in northwest Bloomington, Indiana. Once the concrete is loaded at the plant, the trucks have 45 minutes to get to the site and unload, as after that the concrete begins to harden. The trip from plant to site takes about 25 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic, so there is time to spare, but not all that much.

The trucks carrying the wet batch drive up the inside shoulder and stop just past the paving machinery. A mechanical arm with a large tray (seen upraised in the pic) then descends, and the dump truck backs up to meet this and unload. In the picture, the truck at the right has already discharged its load and is beginning to head back to the plant to load up again. The next truck in line will back up and discharge once the arm and tray is lowered. A third truck (slightly obscured by the machinery) awaits its turn.



The paving operation north of Tramway Road from a slightly different vantage point.

The paving operation actually involves three pieces of machinery, together known as a Slip-Form Paver. Up front is the Spreader, which accepts the concrete from the dump trucks then distributes it with a rotating screw-like apparatus. Note the edge blades serving as a moving form. Close behind is the Finisher, which levels and grades the concrete to the appropriate depth and angle. And, finally, a Tining Machine (not shown) textures the wet slab by placing fine comb-like grooves in the concrete. It appears, as well, that as part of the Tining Machine operation, a liquid membrane curing compound is being applied to protect the newly-laid concrete and to ensure proper curing.



Wrapping up a day's worth of paving. At this point, the Spreader machine (not seen in pic) disengaged and moved forward. The crew quickly removed a set of dowel bar assemblies (seen in the foreground), set and snapped a guideline, then installed a square beam-like barrier anchored in place with spikes. A plastic or tar membrane (the black roll) was then unfurled and attached to the barrier. The Finishing machine was slowly moved forward to fill in the last few feet with concrete, the overflow removed by hand shovel. This was all accomplished in about 10 minutes. Seasoned pros at work.

Questions: When paving resumes is the barrier shown in the pic removed and the dowel bar assemblies reinstalled? How are the pavements slabs connected? And, lastly, does the barrier component have a specific name?



A Mack R-Model tri-axle dump truck, after discharging its load of wet batch, begins its trek back to the ready-mix plant for another load. To drain off any lingering water and material, the bed is kept up for about a minute or so before lowering. The flapping of the tail gate made quite a racket.



Crews for contractor E. S. Wagner Co. (Section 4, Segment 8) removing the last of the remaining material between Segments 7 and 8. In the background, a crew for prime contractor E & B Paving continues work on a drainage issue (Segment 7).

[TravelingBethelite]

That's really cool. Never before have we seen an Interstate construction project in so much detail and so close up. There's a lot more to building an Interstate than slapping a number on it. Awesome photos, by the way! 

[Pete from Boston]

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?

Why would 164 remain as a "silent concurrency" that whole way?

The only mystery is the official and nominal designation of what is east of Weinbach, but that is substantially smaller a piece than would have existed had the South Green River Rd. routing taken place.

[txstateends]

That's really cool. Never before have we seen an Interstate construction project in so much detail and so close up. There's a lot more to building an Interstate than slapping a number on it. Awesome photos, by the way! 

I guess that's probably the biggest thing for me about seeing any progress on I-49 and I-69 -- these will be the first major interstates to be completed (as well as having extensive coverage of construction) in the internet age.  Before, we really had to wait for what was often spotty newspaper or TV news coverage.

[Rick Powell]

Questions: When paving resumes is the barrier shown in the pic removed and the dowel bar assemblies reinstalled? How are the pavements slabs connected? And, lastly, does the barrier component have a specific name?

I usually hear the barrier referred to as a "header".  The usual procedure is to remove the header, drill holes into the freshly set concrete where the dowel bars go, and re-set the dowels and mortar them into the joint, before paving resumes.  Jointed pavement can have dowels or not (some pavements only feature a sawed contraction joint) but I would think they would not omit a row of dowel bars here at the proper spacing (usually 15 feet or so apart).  The idea is for the dowels to have a little bit of "play" for expansion and contraction and not to form a totally rigid, locked-up joint with the concrete - thus they are coated with a slippery epoxy.

I have also seen headers with holes in them, so that the dowels can be set into the wet concrete before it sets up.  I have also seen where the crew doesn't place a header but just lets the concrete slump off at the end of the paving run, then they come back the next day and cut it square with a concrete saw and do the drilled-in dowel routine.

[ITB]

Questions: When paving resumes is the barrier shown in the pic removed and the dowel bar assemblies reinstalled? How are the pavements slabs connected? And, lastly, does the barrier component have a specific name?

I usually hear the barrier referred to as a "header".  The usual procedure is to remove the header, drill holes into the freshly set concrete where the dowel bars go, and re-set the dowels and mortar them into the joint, before paving resumes.  Jointed pavement can have dowels or not (some pavements only feature a sawed contraction joint) but I would think they would not omit a row of dowel bars here at the proper spacing (usually 15 feet or so apart).  The idea is for the dowels to have a little bit of "play" for expansion and contraction and not to form a totally rigid, locked-up joint with the concrete - thus they are coated with a slippery epoxy.

I have also seen headers with holes in them, so that the dowels can be set into the wet concrete before it sets up.  I have also seen where the crew doesn't place a header but just lets the concrete slump off at the end of the paving run, then they come back the next day and cut it square with a concrete saw and do the drilled-in dowel routine.

Thank you for the response. Thumbs up!

I believe the header that was used had holes for dowel bars because the crew was handling green-coated bars. Initially, I thought the bars were weights being used to hold the plastic membrane temporarily in place, but on seeing your response, my thinking shifted, and it is more clear they were dowel bars that were being inserted in the header. Also, in another picture posted earlier [the stacks of dowel bar assemblies], a header is seen, and it has holes.

More pics forthcoming!

[theline]

Great pictures and very informative description, ITB. I've never seen a project like this, so it was very educational. 

[The Ghostbuster]

Does anyone have any construction pictures of the Bloomington to Martinsville segment? Or has construction on that segment not begun yet?

[ITB]

Does anyone have any construction pictures of the Bloomington to Martinsville segment? Or has construction on that segment not begun yet?

The upgrading of State Road 37 to interstate standards, from Bloomington to SR 39 just south of Martinsville, is indeed under construction and has been for over a year.

In August, the bridge carrying Rockport Road over SR 37/future I-69 was completed and opened to traffic. Construction of the Kinser Pike overpass is well underway, as is work to add a third lane in each direction between the SR 37/I-69 interchange and the Sample Road interchange north of Bloomington. Fullerton Pike was recently closed at SR 37, as well, so that construction can begin in earnest on the bridge and future interchange.

I have posted a few pictures of Section 5 construction, and if you look back a few pages, you'll find them.

[ITB]

First, I want thank those of you who have expressed kind words regarding the pics and descriptions I've posted. Much appreciated!

And now ... once again ... as promised ... pics!


Deck pans in place, construction continues on the overpass carrying northbound I-69 over Rockport Road in southwestern Monroe County, Indiana; looking west. The crane is a Link-Belt LS-248H Crawler Crane, capable of lifting 200 tons.

The row of small pine trees in the mid-background (aside the northbound lanes) were planted, apparently, out of consideration to the nearby nudist camp. The trees are most likely to ward off traffic noise, but offer another layer of privacy as well.



The Rockport Road overpass for the southbound lanes. With rebar work nearly complete, the deck pour is soon forthcoming.  E. S. Wagner Co., prime contractor (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segment 8).



Another view of the Link-Belt crane, as well as the form-work materials for the Rockport Road overpasses.



Looking east from the overpasses over Rockport Road. In the background, visible as the white sliver, are the overpasses over Lodge Road. Paving should begin soon from the bridges crossing Happy Creek up to Lodge Road. Once that is done, Segment 8 will be 50% paved.



Close up of the concrete pavement and inside shoulder of future Interstate 69 in Monroe County, Indiana; just north of the bridges crossing Carmichael Road and Indian Creek, looking east.

The fine, comb-like grooves are etched in the pavement to counter slipperiness. This is accomplished with a Tining Machine (as mentioned in a previous post) and is done while the concrete is still wet. Later, after the concrete has cured, a joint is cut using a specialized concrete saw. Joints are cut about every 10 to 15 yards and are necessary to allow the pavement to expand and contract as the seasons change. A couple more asphalt layers still need to be applied to raise the shoulder. E & B Paving, prime contractor (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segments 6/7).

More to come ...

[codyg1985]

ITB, do you work for INDOT?

[Rothman]

Construction of the Kinser Pike overpass is well underway, as is work to add a third lane in each direction between the SR 37/I-69 interchange and the Sample Road interchange north of Bloomington.

Heh.  My parents' first home was on Kinser Pike.

[ITB]

ITB, do you work for INDOT?

No, I don't. But I've met in person and spoken with by phone with a few INDOT representatives, and have, as well, chatted up some of the contractors building I-69. For a good number of years, I've followed activities involving construction and development. If I'm curious about something, I'll poke around the Internet or call a contractor up. Generally, they've been very helpful, at other times, vague. On occasion, I've also examined the actual construction/engineering drawings for the project (they're available via INDOT's website) to more firmly understand what's going on.

I started taking pictures after someone on the forum lamented the fact there was little information available about the status of I-69 construction. Well, maybe I can rectify that, I thought. As I live on the eastside of Bloomington, it only takes about 20—25 minutes to drive to the construction zones in Monroe County. More time is needed if I venture further west into Greene County. Even though construction is occurring not all that far from Bloomington, a mid-sized city of 80,000, the area west where I-69 is routed quickly becomes very rural and sparsely populated. Although most people seem to be doing OK, some very well, there are small pockets of poverty, too. Good country folk, and I've got to admit, they really seem to enjoy discharging their firearms.

[andy]

No, I don't. But I've met in person and spoken with by phone with a few INDOT representatives, and have, as well, chatted up some of the contractors building I-69. For a good number of years, I've followed activities involving construction and development. If I'm curious about something, I'll poke around the Internet or call a contractor up. Generally, they've been very helpful, at other times, vague. On occasion, I've also examined the actual construction/engineering drawings for the project (they're available via INDOT's website) to more firmly understand what's going on.

In your poking around, find anyone willing to speculate on opening day for section 4?

[ARMOURERERIC]

I went to a convention at IU in 1981, found the place awesome

[ITB]

No, I don't. But I've met in person and spoken with by phone with a few INDOT representatives, and have, as well, chatted up some of the contractors building I-69. For a good number of years, I've followed activities involving construction and development. If I'm curious about something, I'll poke around the Internet or call a contractor up. Generally, they've been very helpful, at other times, vague. On occasion, I've also examined the actual construction/engineering drawings for the project (they're available via INDOT's website) to more firmly understand what's going on.

In your poking around, find anyone willing to speculate on opening day for section 4?

That's one topic I haven't broached, with either INDOT or contractors. But I have inquired whether the project will be finished and opened by the end of the year. "That's the plan" is the typical response. As for a specific Section 4 opening date, my hunch is it won't be announced until after Thanksgiving. A lot of work remains to be done, and I imagine INDOT will want to be doubly certain the road will be ready-to-go before they proclaim an opening date. While I believe the road will open to traffic this year, it isn't a slam dunk. But it's getting close to being so.

[Moose]

New guy here, but I drive 37 from Indy (465) to Bloomington (IN 48 exit) every day both ways. So I can comment on what is going on that I see.

Yes they DID loose one of the Section 4 bridge beams over the side of IN37. I want to say it happened in the late spring.
I don't know how it happened but I was driving by and I see one of the trucks with the beam UPSIDE DOWN in a farmers field.
Guard rail was all torn up and the beam on the truck was cracked bad, one end was crumbling all over.
This was halfway between Waverly and Martinsville, close to  39°29'49.18"N and 86°20'25.52"W. Off to the west of the highway.
Took a few days to clean up, only evidence is a shiny new guard rail there.

Otherwise.
South to north, what I have noticed.
The Route 48 overpass looks like it's getting widened, but not by much. They poured some new supports that are attached to the existing supports. Maybe for some pedestrian or bike crossing? Dunno.

They posted closing signs for the SB only exit entrance to the shopping mall. Not closed yet.

In this area there is considerable work in the median.

Vernal pike overpass is progressing well, but it looks like it may be held up by some wires that are in the way. Man I hope they get this done. Vernal is the site of some bad backups, even with the WB road closed.

Kinser pike overpass is going like gangbusters, they probably will be done this year.

I have seen NO work for the future Sample Road interchange. People are using Sample road a LOT to cut over to OLD 37 because of a lane being closed backing up traffic.

The access roads in these areas are being held up, they are burying new lines that replace the overhead ones.

They are installing 4 crossover points right now. One will be at the top of the big hill where the road spits, another will be at the bottom where it comes back together. The other two are going to be for the creek bridges near the northern edge of Section 5

1st Crossover  39°18'21.06"N  86°30'59.15"W
2nd crossover  39°20'3.63"N  86°30'44.24"W
3rd crossover  39°21'39.18"N  86°29'24.00"W
4th crossover  39°23'38.49"N  86°27'31.92"W

Pavement patching is this area is DRAGGING ON despite what the website says. The major slab patching is done true, but there are guys going around putting in "chip and crack patches". Ether on the edge of the concrete slab where the edge is cracked off, or in the middle where there were minor cracks.

And as for the pavement patching. Is that junk ROUGH. The old concrete on the SB lanes of 37 going up the hill was BAD, and I mean BAD. Some places they replaced 100 to 200 yard sections. They didn't use a machine to lay the patches, it was smoothed by hand. Man is some of that crap LUMPY as hell. Honestly the section going up the hill needed a new machine layed section.

The bridge on the old section of IN37 near Martinsville for the access road was actually built this summer. It's pretty much done. It's the only work on the access roads I have seen.
39°22'11.88"N  86°28'49.05"W

Work continues on the grading in the median at the very north part of the section. They are carefully jackhamering away the concrete in the old turn lanes too.

That is about it for now, probably stuff I have forgotten. Will post later if I remember.

[ITB]

Moose, terrific report on the status of Section 5. Two big thumbs up!!

Before getting to some pics, here's a quick rundown on Section 4:

The dotted line on the map indicating future Interstate 69 between NSWC Crane and Bloomington, Indiana, is soon to be a solid one. Section 4 is well on its way toward completion by the end of the year, but a lot of work still remains. Using Google Earth and its path measuring tool, I roughly estimate about 60% of Section 4 is now paved. By the first week of October, that number should rise to near 80%, plus or minus a percent or two. That still leaves, however, about 5.4 miles of road remaining to be paved. Contractors might be able to knock that out by the end of October, but one or two crews could be still paving in mid-November. How it goes depends on a lot of factors, foremost being the weather. The more sunny days we have, the quicker it will get done.

One component of Section 4 that remains to be completed is a 528 foot-long, three-sided box culvert for a minor tributary of Indian Creek. Think about that for a second. 528 feet! That's nearly the distance of two football fields end to end. It's going to be 16 feet in width, 7.3 feet in height. Made of steel-reinforced concrete, the culvert is being constructed off-site and will be trucked in in pieces, then installed, one piece after the other. More about this later.

Edit: No culvert will be constructed. Originally, a culvert was planned, but the steam was diverted instead.

There's a part of me that feels as if I'm taking up too much space in the forum, but the pictures are burning a hole in my Flickr account. Besides, some are already five days old, and with the pace of construction now underway, the paving, etc., they'll soon be, well, "old."



Looking south toward the I-69 mainline bridges crossing Carmichael Road and Indian Creek in Monroe County, Indiana. In the background, the end of the concrete pavement marks the dividing line between Segments 5 and 6. E & B Paving, prime contractor (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segments 6/7); Milestone Contractors, prime contractor (Segments 4/5/6a).



Another view of the bridges crossing Carmichael Road and Indian Creek. E & B Paving, prime contractor (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segments 6/7).



Looking north from near Hobbieville Road in Greene County, Indiana. Up ahead, but not visible, are the bridges crossing Carmichael Road and Indian Creek. Milestone Contractors (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segments 4/5/6a).



The bridges carrying I-69 over Carmichael Road and Indian Creek from another perspective.

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

[Moose]

I wonder if they might open Segment 1 2 and and part of 3 (US231 to IN45) if the weather sours and doesn't permit completion of the other segments.

I drove to Henderson KY a couple weeks ago, and what I saw of 1 and 3, they looked pretty much done.

There was a cop at 231 making sure folks didn't sneak onto the new interstate.

[ITB]

A few more pics. Photos were taken September 13, 2015, unless otherwise indicated.


Looking north from near W. Carter Road in Monroe County, Indiana. Around the bend are the overpasses crossing Indian Creek and Breeden Road. The stretch of roadway with the stone aggregate already in place should be paved soon. E & B Paving, prime contractor (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segments 6/7).


A lonely excavator awaits its master. It appears the floor of the cut excavation at W. Carter Road has finally been reached, and is visible as the patch around the excavator. Looking north from near W. Carter Road, Monroe County, Indiana.



Looking south from near W. Carter Road toward the future I-69/State Road 445 interchange in Greene County, Indiana. The interchange is not visible and never will be from this angle, but it's located where the road slightly rises before veering off left. The mound of earth in front of excavator is where a small tributary of Indian Creek is was found. After the soil is excavated, a long trench will be dug and a 528-foot culvert installed.

Edit: The small tributary at this location was diverted. Originally, a culvert taking the stream underneath I-69 was planned, but a diversion was undertaken instead.



Another view of the area where the minor tributary to Indian Creek runs used to run across the I-69 right-of-way; looking north. The small white spot on the hill in the background is a "NOTICE Waters of U.S." sign. This just means this particular water course is covered under the purview of the Clean Water Act. If someone dumps their used bucket of paint thinner there, any remediation recourse or financial penalties stipulated in the Act may come into play.

Edit: The small tributary was diverted and will not cross the I-69 right-of-way.



The bridge carrying northbound I-69 over State Road 54 in Greene County, Indiana; looking south. The truck entering the roadway via a ingress/egress point off of S. Owensburg Road is carrying stone aggregate destined for a point north of Hobbieville Road. Milestone Contractors (Indiana I-69 Project, Section 4, Segments 4/5/6a).

Still more pics to come!

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

[silverback1065]

New guy here, but I drive 37 from Indy (465) to Bloomington (IN 48 exit) every day both ways. So I can comment on what is going on that I see.

Yes they DID loose one of the Section 4 bridge beams over the side of IN37. I want to say it happened in the late spring.
I don't know how it happened but I was driving by and I see one of the trucks with the beam UPSIDE DOWN in a farmers field.
Guard rail was all torn up and the beam on the truck was cracked bad, one end was crumbling all over.
This was halfway between Waverly and Martinsville, close to  39°29'49.18"N and 86°20'25.52"W. Off to the west of the highway.
Took a few days to clean up, only evidence is a shiny new guard rail there.

Otherwise.
South to north, what I have noticed.
The Route 48 overpass looks like it's getting widened, but not by much. They poured some new supports that are attached to the existing supports. Maybe for some pedestrian or bike crossing? Dunno.

They posted closing signs for the SB only exit entrance to the shopping mall. Not closed yet.

In this area there is considerable work in the median.

Vernal pike overpass is progressing well, but it looks like it may be held up by some wires that are in the way. Man I hope they get this done. Vernal is the site of some bad backups, even with the WB road closed.

Kinser pike overpass is going like gangbusters, they probably will be done this year.

I have seen NO work for the future Sample Road interchange. People are using Sample road a LOT to cut over to OLD 37 because of a lane being closed backing up traffic.

The access roads in these areas are being held up, they are burying new lines that replace the overhead ones.

They are installing 4 crossover points right now. One will be at the top of the big hill where the road spits, another will be at the bottom where it comes back together. The other two are going to be for the creek bridges near the northern edge of Section 5

1st Crossover  39°18'21.06"N  86°30'59.15"W
2nd crossover  39°20'3.63"N  86°30'44.24"W
3rd crossover  39°21'39.18"N  86°29'24.00"W
4th crossover  39°23'38.49"N  86°27'31.92"W

Pavement patching is this area is DRAGGING ON despite what the website says. The major slab patching is done true, but there are guys going around putting in "chip and crack patches". Ether on the edge of the concrete slab where the edge is cracked off, or in the middle where there were minor cracks.

And as for the pavement patching. Is that junk ROUGH. The old concrete on the SB lanes of 37 going up the hill was BAD, and I mean BAD. Some places they replaced 100 to 200 yard sections. They didn't use a machine to lay the patches, it was smoothed by hand. Man is some of that crap LUMPY as hell. Honestly the section going up the hill needed a new machine layed section.

The bridge on the old section of IN37 near Martinsville for the access road was actually built this summer. It's pretty much done. It's the only work on the access roads I have seen.
39°22'11.88"N  86°28'49.05"W

Work continues on the grading in the median at the very north part of the section. They are carefully jackhamering away the concrete in the old turn lanes too.

That is about it for now, probably stuff I have forgotten. Will post later if I remember.

That entire patch section will be covered in asphalt soon, I believe E&B Paving will be doing it.

[Moose]

Well one could hope they are going to repave them.

The crossovers looked about done this morning. So I suspect we may see the big hill there two lane for a while. There isn't a lot of space of the hill portion for equipment, particularly on the NB side. I think they have to widen some of the cuts there anyway to meet the "typical section" profile they posted on the website.

I hinted to it, but the old IN 37 alignment between Bloomington and near Martinsville has seen a massive surge in traffic for folks trying to avoid the construction. That road is popular with bicyclists from IU. There have been a couple of car bicycle wrecks already.

Also I forgot to mention there is an unrelated construction project in Martinsville on IN37. It's a concrete patch and then pave project, but they only seem to work weekends only.

Ohh and put Marion County on the stupid list. They put brand spanking new stoplights on IN37 between County Line and 465...... yeah you will get about 5 years service out of those, way to spend the tax money.