Indiana Notes

[2trailertrucker]

The bridge over Wildcat Creek on I 65
in Tippecanoe county is closed again! Just in time
for the weekend!

Damaged bridge closes I-65 northbound again near Lafayette

http://www.wthr.com/story/29707484/northbound-i-65-closed-in-tippecanoe-co-for-unsafe-bridge

(Sent from WTHR)

[NE2]

INDOT is only allowed to fuck up its own road network. AASHTO has control over US routes and generally won't let states make them discontinuous.

But Colorado.

[silverback1065]

Well the bridge is now closed indefinitely.
The official detour is now i-74 to i-57 for Chicago traffic. And most logical local detours are impossible because a lot of secondary state roads are closed for unrelated projects.

[Revive 755]

^ Is there some project that prevents use of the IN 63/US 41 as part of the detour?

[silverback1065]

^ Is there some project that prevents use of the IN 63/US 41 as part of the detour?

Not that I know of, but since that corridor isn't an interstate I think that's why they don't list it as an official detour.

[TravelingBethelite]

The bridge over Wildcat Creek on I 65
in Tippecanoe county is closed again! Just in time
for the weekend!

Damaged bridge closes I-65 northbound again near Lafayette

http://www.wthr.com/story/29707484/northbound-i-65-closed-in-tippecanoe-co-for-unsafe-bridge

(Sent from WTHR)

Fox 59 had a similar story:
http://fox59.com/2015/08/10/indot-to-answer-questions-about-i-65-northbound-bridge-closure-in-lafayette/

[Rushmeister]

Last Friday I went over the Wildcat Creek bridge on I-65 just before they closed it again.  I could clearly feel the dip where one pier has dropped down -- rather noticeable and somewhat alarming, actually.  I heard on the news this morning that the pier has dropped 9 inches.  When I heard later in the day that the bridge was closed again, I was actually sort of relieved.  Although I'm reasonably certain the bridge was not in danger of imminent collapse, I know we really can't afford to gamble with public safety.

My advice for anyone traveling from Indianapolis to Lafayette is to avoid all of the detour options advertised on highway message boards and the news media.  The delays can be extensive along those routes (US 52-IND 28-US 231) at certain times of day.  Depending on your specific destination in the Lafayette area there could be many better options for making a northbound approach.  Hint:  Stay to the east of Lafayette and go through Frankfort.  There are a number of well-built secondary roads in the Jefferson-Mulberry area that should get the job done nicely for entering the Lafayette area.  If the primary detour route is your first choice you should check traffic conditions on-line first and then use your discretion.  Now that temporary automatic signals are in place at Clarks Hill and Romney, safety and congestion are improved.

Indy to Chicago through traffic, especially large vehicles, should just take I-74 west and then use IND 63/US 41 for the rest of the trip to Chicago.  Not the only way to get the job done, of course; I'm just sayin'...

[silverback1065]

Last Friday I went over the Wildcat Creek bridge on I-65 just before they closed it again.  I could clearly feel the dip where one pier has dropped down -- rather noticeable and somewhat alarming, actually.  I heard on the news this morning that the pier has dropped 9 inches.  When I heard later in the day that the bridge was closed again, I was actually sort of relieved.  Although I'm reasonably certain the bridge was not in danger of imminent collapse, I know we really can't afford to gamble with public safety.

My advice for anyone traveling from Indianapolis to Lafayette is to avoid all of the detour options advertised on highway message boards and the news media.  The delays can be extensive along those routes (US 52-IND 28-US 231) at certain times of day.  Depending on your specific destination in the Lafayette area there could be many better options for making a northbound approach.  Hint:  Stay to the east of Lafayette and go through Frankfort.  There are a number of well-built secondary roads in the Jefferson-Mulberry area that should get the job done nicely for entering the Lafayette area.  If the primary detour route is your first choice you should check traffic conditions on-line first and then use your discretion.  Now that temporary automatic signals are in place at Clarks Hill and Romney, safety and congestion are improved.

Indy to Chicago through traffic, especially large vehicles, should just take I-74 west and then use IND 63/US 41 for the rest of the trip to Chicago.  Not the only way to get the job done, of course; I'm just sayin'...

Where are the temporary signals specifically?

[silverback1065]

Never mind I found them both at SR 28. How's traffic flowing around there? This bridge could be closed for several months now.

[nwi_navigator_1181]

The wait ends.

Per INDOT, the long-closed ramp connecting the Indiana Toll Road to I-80/94 and Ripley Street (exit 21) is scheduled to reopen ahead of schedule tomorrow morning at 9am (8/14), ending a series of rehab projects involving the interchange system. This will take a LOT of pressure off I-65 and should allow for the major channels to flow normally. The ramp to I-65 further west had a history of jammed traffic for the almost two years the ramp had been shuttered, and it will be a welcome relief for those who drove the stretch, like me.

[pianocello]

The wait ends.

Per INDOT, the long-closed ramp connecting the Indiana Toll Road to I-80/94 and Ripley Street (exit 21) is scheduled to reopen ahead of schedule tomorrow morning at 9am (8/14), ending a series of rehab projects involving the interchange system. This will take a LOT of pressure off I-65 and should allow for the major channels to flow normally. The ramp to I-65 further west had a history of jammed traffic for the almost two years the ramp had been shuttered, and it will be a welcome relief for those who drove the stretch, like me.

Cool, I'll have to check that out when I go back there.

Is it just the WB Toll Rd -> I-94 ramp that's back open, or is the ramp from 94 to the WB Toll Rd back open too? (Or am I making up the WB on-ramp's closure?)

[nwi_navigator_1181]

The wait ends.

Per INDOT, the long-closed ramp connecting the Indiana Toll Road to I-80/94 and Ripley Street (exit 21) is scheduled to reopen ahead of schedule tomorrow morning at 9am (8/14), ending a series of rehab projects involving the interchange system. This will take a LOT of pressure off I-65 and should allow for the major channels to flow normally. The ramp to I-65 further west had a history of jammed traffic for the almost two years the ramp had been shuttered, and it will be a welcome relief for those who drove the stretch, like me.

Cool, I'll have to check that out when I go back there.

Is it just the WB Toll Rd -> I-94 ramp that's back open, or is the ramp from 94 to the WB Toll Rd back open too? (Or am I making up the WB on-ramp's closure?)

You're not making that up. That ramp was closed at the end of March and opened before the end of June. Work on both bridges was concurrent, with the westbound on ramp requiring less time.

[mgk920]

^^
I'm still wondering what happened with the proposed major interchange rebuild that was on the table back in the late 1990s.

Mike

[silverback1065]

65 will be closed until mid September

[monty]

I drove a lot of the I 65 detour from West Lafayette to Indy on Thursday and boy, it's a challenge!  INDOT has done a good job of adding signage and alerts.  They also put a temporary stoplight at IN 28 & US 52.  I'd encourage drivers to avoid the route and it's obvious there are many people exploring throughout the Lafayette area for better options, adding to the burden of Sagamore Parkway construction that has that traffic running one lane in each direction.  I 74 to US 41 and even Keystone to US 31 may be decent options going north.  The two lane rural roads with the Interstate level of traffic just seem dangerous.

[silverback1065]

Us 52 can handle it, its just 28 that can't. All the at grade intersections are also a safety concern.
Also SR 63 is the better route, us 41 is a 2 lane road around 74

[Pete from Boston]

Not sure if it's come up yet but I was on US 41 in Evansville a few weeks ago and it looks like all movements are paved (in concrete) at the intersection with the Lloyd Expressway (Indiana 62/66).  This is the intersection that a traffic light on either side but is being converted to a full cloverleaf. The night I was there a new pedestrian span was being hoisted into place over the Lloyd adjacent to 41.

I happened to go through that area on the Lloyd Expressway a week ago and can confirm the concrete aspect of this.

Got a better look at things the other day.  All eight new ramps are open and the lights are gone from the Lloyd Expressway. 

Also, construction of another new pedestrian overpass is underway at Vann Ave. just east of here.

[Pete from Boston]

Not sure if it's come up yet but I was on US 41 in Evansville a few weeks ago and it looks like all movements are paved (in concrete) at the intersection with the Lloyd Expressway (Indiana 62/66).  This is the intersection that a traffic light on either side but is being converted to a full cloverleaf. The night I was there a new pedestrian span was being hoisted into place over the Lloyd adjacent to 41.

I happened to go through that area on the Lloyd Expressway a week ago and can confirm the concrete aspect of this.

Got a better look at things the other day.  All eight new ramps are open and the lights are gone from the Lloyd Expressway. 

Also, construction of another new pedestrian overpass is underway at Vann Ave. just east of here.  Not a little one, either–concrete-walled embankments are being built up on either side, enough to make me wonder for a minute if the Vann crossing was being grade-separated.

[PurdueBill]

SR 38 is no longer cosigned with US 421 and sr 39 in Frankfort it now has a gap in it. It ends north of the city and picks up again just south of the city.
Very confusing at first as I was going to use 38 to get to Lafayette from there.

I only anticipate that SR38 will be further truncated as warranted in the future there is no need for several sections of the highway. T Only the eastern section east of I-69 in pendleton and eastward should remain. The central sections through Noblesville, Sheridan, Kirklin and Frankfort are not needed because they are served by other state highways. (On that note SR-47 should be extended along 236th street to US-31.)  the western half of the highway, it should be relinquished to the state as it currently serves only the small town of Mulberry and terminates on a non state highway (Sagamore Parkway; aka. former US-52)

From a Purdue sports discussion board thread regarding the detour(s) around the closed section of I-65, a statement by someone who tried to do 421 to 38...

Still haven't figured out where we lost 38 in Frankfort. I picked it back up in Mulberry.

This is why continuing route numbers across a city matters, INDOT!!  God forbid anyone try to use a route number to, you know, navigate...especially in an unusual situation like getting around an emergency closure.

INDOT not being able to post route numbers over city/county roads really irks me.  Do like they do in places like Massachusetts and allow the route number to continue.  Drivers don't care about maintenance of the road when it comes to signage of route numbers.  They are trying to navigate with the route numbers.  Why not at least some TO trailblazers along the old route?  Oi.

[jnewkirk77]

I apologize in advance if this gets me in trouble, but surpluses are more important to the Pence administration than roads and bridges.

[silverback1065]

I apologize in advance if this gets me in trouble, but surpluses are more important to the Pence administration than roads and bridges.

I agree, having money in savings is meaningless when everything around you is falling apart. We should save money but we also need to spend more to fix real problems. Maybe this bridge will get them to care more. They claim next year is "infrastructure year" we'll see.
It really just seems like we have a large surplus so politicians can brag about it (I know Indiana cannot be in a deficit by law)

[silverback1065]

This bridge is causing so many accidents on us 52 that normally wouldn't have happened otherwise. Everyday there's a new horrible accident on that stretch. The coffee accident is by far the worst I've heard.

[silverback1065]

SR 38 is no longer cosigned with US 421 and sr 39 in Frankfort it now has a gap in it. It ends north of the city and picks up again just south of the city.
Very confusing at first as I was going to use 38 to get to Lafayette from there.

I only anticipate that SR38 will be further truncated as warranted in the future there is no need for several sections of the highway. T Only the eastern section east of I-69 in pendleton and eastward should remain. The central sections through Noblesville, Sheridan, Kirklin and Frankfort are not needed because they are served by other state highways. (On that note SR-47 should be extended along 236th street to US-31.)  the western half of the highway, it should be relinquished to the state as it currently serves only the small town of Mulberry and terminates on a non state highway (Sagamore Parkway; aka. former US-52)

From a Purdue sports discussion board thread regarding the detour(s) around the closed section of I-65, a statement by someone who tried to do 421 to 38...

Still haven't figured out where we lost 38 in Frankfort. I picked it back up in Mulberry.

This is why continuing route numbers across a city matters, INDOT!!  God forbid anyone try to use a route number to, you know, navigate...especially in an unusual situation like getting around an emergency closure.

INDOT not being able to post route numbers over city/county roads really irks me.  Do like they do in places like Massachusetts and allow the route number to continue.  Drivers don't care about maintenance of the road when it comes to signage of route numbers.  They are trying to navigate with the route numbers.  Why not at least some TO trailblazers along the old route?  Oi.

I totally agree, but I don't think designing 38 has anything to do with not signing city streets, nothing in that area has been decommissioned, and they really can't since it's a us route principally and those are harder for indot to fuck up. Having 38 signed is a good idea because some people actually are trying to use it to get to Lafayette.

[mukade]

I apologize in advance if this gets me in trouble, but surpluses are more important to the Pence administration than roads and bridges.

Of course both are extremely important. Indiana's AAA credit rating is why it has more flexibility financing things like I-69 section 5 (and presumably section 6). Look at the price Illinois has to pay due to their poor financial condition. One of the reasons why it is so important to this and the previous administrations is that Indiana was in such poor financial shape in the early 2000s. The key is to effectively maintain a healthy balance sheet while improving the highway infrastructure - and that is somewhat difficult.

I agree, having money in savings is meaningless when everything around you is falling apart.

I am not sure everything is falling apart. The remarkably bad things I have seen are ones that are planned for large investment like the I-465 & I-69 interchange and US 31 & US 20 interchange. I thought Indiana compared better to most states on bridges, and most state roads are acceptably smooth. They have a ways to go on upgrading corridors like US 31 and widening I-65 and I-70.

Even the I-65 bridge fiasco was not a result of inadequate investment. The contractor messed up while widening the bridge.

It really just seems like we have a large surplus so politicians can brag about it (I know Indiana cannot be in a deficit by law)

It is an important differentiator when Indiana competes against other states. Illinois, despite its poor financial shape, has a magnet called Chicago. Indiana does not so it needs distinctions.

[silverback1065]

I guess it could be worse, we have better roads than Michigan.