Update on I-69 Extension in Indiana

[Interstate 69 Fan]

The only reference of SR 37 along I-69/SR 37 itself north of Martinsville has been removed.

SR 37 markers at Exit 145 (Henderson Ford Rd) are gone. I don't know if there's now any reference of SR 37 existing now north of Martinsville. (besides along 465)

[KelleyCook]

I don't know if there's now any reference of SR 37 existing now north of Martinsville. (besides along 465)

Right, and on I-465, the SR-37 shield is notably absent from the new Exit 4 Harding Street sign.

[silverback1065]

that's because SR 37 will no longer exist between the splits with 69. When 69 is complete 37 will disappear where it overlaps 465 and 69 for good. 

[KeithE4Phx]

that's because SR 37 will no longer exist between the splits with 69. When 69 is complete 37 will disappear where it overlaps 465 and 69 for good.

IN 37 should end where it meets I-69 on the south side of Bloomington, and pick up again for the few miles that it currently exists between I-469 in Ft. Wayne and the Ohio state line where it becomes OH 2.  Is this the plan?  No need for 37 to to be co-signed 69 between Bloomington and Ft. Wayne.

[NWI_Irish96]

that's because SR 37 will no longer exist between the splits with 69. When 69 is complete 37 will disappear where it overlaps 465 and 69 for good.

IN 37 should end where it meets I-69 on the south side of Bloomington, and pick up again for the few miles that it currently exists between I-469 in Ft. Wayne and the Ohio state line where it becomes OH 2.  Is this the plan?  No need for 37 to to be co-signed 69 between Bloomington and Ft. Wayne.

The segment from I-69 to IN 9 would still be needed.

[I-55]

that's because SR 37 will no longer exist between the splits with 69. When 69 is complete 37 will disappear where it overlaps 465 and 69 for good.

IN 37 should end where it meets I-69 on the south side of Bloomington, and pick up again for the few miles that it currently exists between I-469 in Ft. Wayne and the Ohio state line where it becomes OH 2.  Is this the plan?  No need for 37 to to be co-signed 69 between Bloomington and Ft. Wayne.

The segment from I-69 to IN 9 would still be needed.

The other argument would be to renumber the Allen County SR 37 as it is 60 miles from the northern end of the middle segment and only travels 14 miles to the state line.

[NWI_Irish96]

that's because SR 37 will no longer exist between the splits with 69. When 69 is complete 37 will disappear where it overlaps 465 and 69 for good.

IN 37 should end where it meets I-69 on the south side of Bloomington, and pick up again for the few miles that it currently exists between I-469 in Ft. Wayne and the Ohio state line where it becomes OH 2.  Is this the plan?  No need for 37 to to be co-signed 69 between Bloomington and Ft. Wayne.

The segment from I-69 to IN 9 would still be needed.

The other argument would be to renumber the Allen County SR 37 as it is 60 miles from the northern end of the middle segment and only travels 14 miles to the state line.

There are other state routes with three discontinuous segments and INDOT does not tend to renumber highways so I expect all segments of IN 37 to remain IN 37.

[Moose]

Any clue on when I-69 will be extended up to Smith Valley? I know when they opened the interchange on Nov 17th, 2023 they said it'd be early 2024, so I imagine it cannot be far off, if not by the end of this month.

When that ends up happening, 7 miles to go, and I expect up to Co Line will not be far off either, given it's practically done in the vicinity of the Co Line interchange.

I don't see why it can't start at southport road at this point.

It's a matter of getting the FHWA and AASHTO to sign off on the paperwork to extend the I-69 designation.  FHWA can do that at any time, but AASHTO only meets twice a year, so any chance of AASHTO approving the extension will be at their Spring Meeting in May, at the earliest.

At this point, may as well wait until the project is completed and do it all at once.

They stated on Facebook in a response that formal designation of the rest of the highway will wait until completion of the whole project.

[Rothman]

that's because SR 37 will no longer exist between the splits with 69. When 69 is complete 37 will disappear where it overlaps 465 and 69 for good.

IN 37 should end where it meets I-69 on the south side of Bloomington, and pick up again for the few miles that it currently exists between I-469 in Ft. Wayne and the Ohio state line where it becomes OH 2.  Is this the plan?  No need for 37 to to be co-signed 69 between Bloomington and Ft. Wayne.

The segment from I-69 to IN 9 would still be needed.

The other argument would be to renumber the Allen County SR 37 as it is 60 miles from the northern end of the middle segment and only travels 14 miles to the state line.

There are other state routes with three discontinuous segments and INDOT does not tend to renumber highways so I expect all segments of IN 37 to remain IN 37.

The first part of your statement does not seem congruent with the latter.  INDOT is infamous for de-designating routes, so, given the precedent, I don't see why they wouldn't chunk up IN 37.

[NWI_Irish96]

that's because SR 37 will no longer exist between the splits with 69. When 69 is complete 37 will disappear where it overlaps 465 and 69 for good.

IN 37 should end where it meets I-69 on the south side of Bloomington, and pick up again for the few miles that it currently exists between I-469 in Ft. Wayne and the Ohio state line where it becomes OH 2.  Is this the plan?  No need for 37 to to be co-signed 69 between Bloomington and Ft. Wayne.

The segment from I-69 to IN 9 would still be needed.

The other argument would be to renumber the Allen County SR 37 as it is 60 miles from the northern end of the middle segment and only travels 14 miles to the state line.

There are other state routes with three discontinuous segments and INDOT does not tend to renumber highways so I expect all segments of IN 37 to remain IN 37.

The first part of your statement does not seem congruent with the latter.  INDOT is infamous for de-designating routes, so, given the precedent, I don't see why they wouldn't chunk up IN 37.

My last statement wasn't clear. I expect all segments not getting de-designated to remain IN 37 (as opposed to being renumbered).

[Moose]

The tiny segment left from Epler Ave to 465 will become an unsigned state owned road.

[Moose]

Youtube video drop. 

[Rick Powell]

Youtube video drop. 

0:58 of the video - I guess this answers the question of I-69 designation. All as one piece from SR 144 to I-465.

[abqtraveler]

Any clue on when I-69 will be extended up to Smith Valley? I know when they opened the interchange on Nov 17th, 2023 they said it'd be early 2024, so I imagine it cannot be far off, if not by the end of this month.

When that ends up happening, 7 miles to go, and I expect up to Co Line will not be far off either, given it's practically done in the vicinity of the Co Line interchange.

I don't see why it can't start at southport road at this point.

It's a matter of getting the FHWA and AASHTO to sign off on the paperwork to extend the I-69 designation.  FHWA can do that at any time, but AASHTO only meets twice a year, so any chance of AASHTO approving the extension will be at their Spring Meeting in May, at the earliest.

At this point, may as well wait until the project is completed and do it all at once.

They stated on Facebook in a response that formal designation of the rest of the highway will wait until completion of the whole project.

If it's all supposed to be finished by the end of this year, it would make sense to wait until it's all done to extend the I-69 designation up to I-465.

[silverback1065]

37 in fishers is staying put. I have heard that they are continuing the freeway up to SR 32/38 eventually too. so there will be 3 pieces of 37.

[ITB]

Here's a selection of screen grabs from the video posted above:


I-69 Finish Line
The I-69/I-465 system interchange; looking southeast. Note the second hammerhead pier under construction for the I-69N to I-465W flyover.


I-69 Finish Line
And the view of the interchange looking north. Interestingly, the drone footage captured a concrete pumper truck at work, assisting with the pour of the pier's column base (upper left).


I-69 Finish Line
Nearing completion, the north abutment of the I-69N to I-465W flyover; looking northwest.


I-69 Finish Line
The I-465/Harding Street—SR 37 interchange; looking northeast.


I-69 Finish Line
The demolition of the westbound I-465 bridge over the White River; looking slightly southeast. It will take most of 2024 to build the new replacement span.


I-69 Finish Line
Closer look.


I-69 Finish Line
To the south, the I-69/Southport Road interchange; looking north. The northbound exit ramp to Southport was recently completed and opened.


I-69 Finish Line
Just north of Southport Road, a closer view of the work zone. Even though the southbound bridge over Banta Road still has a deck finisher in place, the pour was completed in December. There's not all the much work to do here before paving will get underway.


I-69 Finish Line
The view in the other direction; looking south. The pavement bracketed by the orange barrels is the southbound entrance ramp from Southport Road. It looks like the ramp will be shifted to the pavement just to the left, after which this section of road will be rebuilt. It's a short section, only about a 1/2 mile, so they should knock it out in short order.


I-69 Finish Line
Long range view looking north showing the point where the new alignment of I-69 diverges from SR 37. Just beyond, center-left, is the Epler Avenue overpass and partial interchange.


I-69 Finish Line
Beautiful night shot looking east toward I-465 and the eastbound exit ramp to Harding Street (right).


I-69 Finish Line
Another long range shot, this time looking west toward I-465 and the White River bridges. In the background is the Mann Road overpass and partial interchange, and further back right, the control tower of Indianapolis International Airport.

For reference, here's the video again:

[ITB]

Decided to head up to Indianapolis for another look-see. Photos were taken Sunday, February 25, 2024.


The future I-69N to I-465W flyover; looking northwest. Preparations are underway to place the next sets of girders. The scaffolding, which will temporarily support the first set of girders, is nearly complete. Behind, the second hammerhead pier has received it concrete cap pour. The forms should be removed sometime this week. It's possible girder placement will begin this week, but next week is more likely.


Zoomed in look.


Two sets of girders, five per set, are now on site. Another set or two may be forthcoming.


Looking south toward the Epler Avenue overpass and the gore point where the future southbound I-69 ramps from I-465 join to form I-69 south.


The Manitowoc 2250 Lattice-Boom Crawler Crane that will be used to lift the girders. There's a second Manitowoc crane on site, probably another 2250, but I couldn't see the model number to confirm. Although only one crane might be used to place the girders, there's a good chance both cranes will be utilized.


The future I-465W to I-69S flyover and north abutment; looking slightly northeast. There's been a lot of advances in construction over the years, but walls under construction are still often braced with wood and timber, as they were 1000 years ago.


Long range view looking east toward I-465 from the Mann Road overpass.


Another perspective of the I-69N to I-465W flyover; looking northwest.


Close up look of the Manitowoc 2250 crane.


Another view looking northeast toward the I-465W to I-65S work zone. While it's a little deceiving visual-wise, the future four lanes of westbound I-465 will be coming through that gap between the abutment and pier.


Another look at the girders of the I-69N to I-465W flyover; looking northeast.


Zoomed in view looking east from the Mann Road overpass. The section of bridge over Harmon Ditch (center) has received its deck pour. They did the work at night last week. It appears the plan is to complete more lanes, then transition westbound traffic to those, after which the current westbound lanes and bridges will be demolished and reconstructed.

I was hoping to get more of the frame in sharp focus, but it was not to be. Next time I'll tweak the settings. Might work, might not; it's three miles in distance. Now if I had me a top-of-line long range lens, the kind that wildlife photographers often use, well, I imagine a better picture could be produced — but I don't.


Here's that second Manitowoc crane. The towers of downtown Indianapolis are in the background.


Closer look of the I-465W to I-69S flyover with falsework in place.


Another view of the I-69N to I-465W flyover work zone.


Again, looking east from the Mann Road overpass.


And one more of the I-69N to I-465W flyover.

I was hoping to stop by another location or two but the sun was sinking like a rock. It's only a hour drive, so we'll see.

[boilerup25]

The tiny segment left from Epler Ave to 465 will become an unsigned state owned road.

I also thought that was a possibility, but I went on a site visit as part of my transportation engineering class and heard from INDOT and the project team that the tiny segment of current IN 37 from Epler Avenue to I-465 will be de-designated / relinquished and returned to the city of Indianapolis. The team also told me that the existing IN 37 in that area might be given a "road diet" now that through traffic has been diverted to other routes once the I-69/I-465 junction is complete.

[Life in Paradise]

The tiny segment left from Epler Ave to 465 will become an unsigned state owned road.

I also thought that was a possibility, but I went on a site visit as part of my transportation engineering class and heard from INDOT and the project team that the tiny segment of current IN 37 from Epler Avenue to I-465 will be de-designated / relinquished and returned to the city of Indianapolis. The team also told me that the existing IN 37 in that area might be given a "road diet" now that through traffic has been diverted to other routes once the I-69/I-465 junction is complete.

I'm sure the city of Indianapolis is joyously awaiting taking possession of another street even though most of the traffic will be on I-69 and I-465.

I traveled up from SW Indiana yesterday to Indianapolis and back using the new I-69/Future I-69.  Truly no stoplights until you switch over to what would remain of IN-37 to Harding Street.  That part is quite a mess due to all of the construction going on.  One good note, I hardly saw any police on I-69 yesterday, and I was looking in the 45 MPH area (from I-465 to 10 miles south) since none of us were going 45, matter of fact, I'm not sure any of us were going under 60 (and I'm guessing that is normal).  Nice 2 1/2 hour trip from downtown Indy back to home.

[Moose]

https://i69finishline.com/on-track-project-update-february-26-2024/?fbclid=IwAR1u-QNjBzdilH0eMF34xtSS3swhaxMiBQsiw-r9Ma5EPcJ9W9CEmMqgSj4

Next update

[Thegeet]

The tiny segment left from Epler Ave to 465 will become an unsigned state owned road.

I also thought that was a possibility, but I went on a site visit as part of my transportation engineering class and heard from INDOT and the project team that the tiny segment of current IN 37 from Epler Avenue to I-465 will be de-designated / relinquished and returned to the city of Indianapolis. The team also told me that the existing IN 37 in that area might be given a "road diet" now that through traffic has been diverted to other routes once the I-69/I-465 junction is complete.

Road diet? Like it becomes a rural road or something?

[mgk920]

The tiny segment left from Epler Ave to 465 will become an unsigned state owned road.

I also thought that was a possibility, but I went on a site visit as part of my transportation engineering class and heard from INDOT and the project team that the tiny segment of current IN 37 from Epler Avenue to I-465 will be de-designated / relinquished and returned to the city of Indianapolis. The team also told me that the existing IN 37 in that area might be given a "road diet" now that through traffic has been diverted to other routes once the I-69/I-465 junction is complete.

Road diet? Like it becomes a rural road or something?

I have never liked the term 'road diet', it just sounds too 'wonky'.  I'm thinking that it will ultimately be re-engineered as a regular urban/suburban surface street.

Mike

[ilpt4u]

Surely Harding St will still have some commuter traffic heading into Indy from the southwest, no?

Urban arterial is what it is inside 465, and should become now once it departs the new 69 alignment a mile or two south of 465

[silverback1065]

it'll likely just be a 4 lane undivided road with a center left turn lane.

[davewiecking]

it'll likely just be a 4 lane undivided road with a center left turn lane.

There are no properties with entrances directly on the road along that stretch, so why would anybody need to turn left except at an intersection?