Indiana Notes

[silverback1065]

SR 37 is being surveyed for the upcoming roundabout project. It's going to be a while before construction starts, this is survey for the design.

[cjw2001]

Random question maybe you guys know the answer to, was the Sam Jones Expressway ever a state road? Did it ever have a number, or a planned number, or even a secret number? (On the books as a number just not signed in the field) I'm almost certain it's just a city street now but I've always wondered this.

It's a city of Indianapolis street.

[westerninterloper]

Random question maybe you guys know the answer to, was the Sam Jones Expressway ever a state road? Did it ever have a number, or a planned number, or even a secret number? (On the books as a number just not signed in the field) I'm almost certain it's just a city street now but I've always wondered this.

It's a city of Indianapolis street.

I think it's always been a local road - it was the Airport Expressway before the new terminal opened, and I don't recall ever seeing a state or federal road designation for it.

[captkirk_4]

I really think I-865 needs to be extended eastwards to meet I-74 for traffic transitioning to and from I-70. It is currently a really long way around Indianapolis for I-74 traffic. The shortest route is Indiana 32 from Crawfordsville to Lebanon, then the shorter northern loop around. I took that last month but of course got stuck in a "funeral procession" on the two lane Indiana 32 with about 15 cars delayed by some senile old coot who wanted to drive 50 mph and didn't bother to pull off the dang road and let all the people who were competent to drive cars pass. When you see all these vehicles behind you have a clue, get off the darn road and let the big boys by.

[silverback1065]

I really think I-865 needs to be extended eastwards to meet I-74 for traffic transitioning to and from I-70. It is currently a really long way around Indianapolis for I-74 traffic. The shortest route is Indiana 32 from Crawfordsville to Lebanon, then the shorter northern loop around. I took that last month but of course got stuck in a "funeral procession" on the two lane Indiana 32 with about 15 cars delayed by some senile old coot who wanted to drive 50 mph and didn't bother to pull off the dang road and let all the people who were competent to drive cars pass. When you see all these vehicles behind you have a clue, get off the darn road and let the big boys by.

That's an interesting idea, it won't happen due to money and I don't think traffic counts would justify it. They do need to redo the 465/865 52 interchange though.

[NWI_Irish96]

I really think I-865 needs to be extended eastwards to meet I-74 for traffic transitioning to and from I-70. It is currently a really long way around Indianapolis for I-74 traffic. The shortest route is Indiana 32 from Crawfordsville to Lebanon, then the shorter northern loop around. I took that last month but of course got stuck in a "funeral procession" on the two lane Indiana 32 with about 15 cars delayed by some senile old coot who wanted to drive 50 mph and didn't bother to pull off the dang road and let all the people who were competent to drive cars pass. When you see all these vehicles behind you have a clue, get off the darn road and let the big boys by.

The route you described is 4 miles longer than just following 74 via 465.

[Great Lakes Roads]

Starting on July 6th or after, Interstate 65 southbound traffic will see a new traffic pattern in Lafayette. This will require the left lane to travel on the future northbound lane. Access to Exit 175 (Indiana State Road 25) will be maintained via the right lane before the split after the Wabash River bridge.

Article: http://fox59.com/2016/07/05/i-65-added-travel-lanes-project-will-shift-traffic-in-tippecanoe-county/

[dvferyance]

I really think I-865 needs to be extended eastwards to meet I-74 for traffic transitioning to and from I-70. It is currently a really long way around Indianapolis for I-74 traffic. The shortest route is Indiana 32 from Crawfordsville to Lebanon, then the shorter northern loop around. I took that last month but of course got stuck in a "funeral procession" on the two lane Indiana 32 with about 15 cars delayed by some senile old coot who wanted to drive 50 mph and didn't bother to pull off the dang road and let all the people who were competent to drive cars pass. When you see all these vehicles behind you have a clue, get off the darn road and let the big boys by.

The only thing I-865 needs is an interchange at Cooper Rd.

[nwi_navigator_1181]

Just as we got back used to using the Lake Station Toll Road interchange, we will have to go a good portion of the rest of the year without it.

Starting Monday July 11, the east- and westbound exit ramps from the Toll Road to the Borman will be closed for structural repairs, including the bridge over Burns Ditch (but not the bridges that were replaced during previous projects). Access to the Toll Road from the Borman will still be available. This work is scheduled to end mid-November.

Effective TONIGHT, the travel plazas near the Lake Station interchange will be closed for demolition and remodeling until summer 2017. Truck drivers will still be allowed to park for rest at designated areas, but there will be no gas, food, or restrooms available. Eastbound drivers will have to go to the next plaza east of State Route 39 for services, while westbound drivers will have to ride out to Chicago.

Finally, the next set of lane closures for the 80/90 PUSH project will begin tomorrow night, with one set between mileposts 55-62 in LaPorte County and the other set between mileposts 73-83 in the South Bend-Mishawaka area. This phase is to last four weeks.

Long range travelers may want to consider using US 20 to Indiana 331 to get to the Toll Road bound for Ohio (or the reverse if coming westbound).

[Joe The Dragon]

Just as we got back used to using the Lake Station Toll Road interchange, we will have to go a good portion of the rest of the year without it.


Effective TONIGHT, the travel plazas near the Lake Station interchange will be closed for demolition and remodeling until summer 2017. Truck drivers will still be allowed to park for rest at designated areas, but there will be no gas, food, or restrooms available. Eastbound drivers will have to go to the next plaza east of State Route 39 for services, while westbound drivers will have to ride out to Chicago.

Will they rework them to fit direct ramps to the borman down the road?

[nwi_navigator_1181]

Just as we got back used to using the Lake Station Toll Road interchange, we will have to go a good portion of the rest of the year without it.


Effective TONIGHT, the travel plazas near the Lake Station interchange will be closed for demolition and remodeling until summer 2017. Truck drivers will still be allowed to park for rest at designated areas, but there will be no gas, food, or restrooms available. Eastbound drivers will have to go to the next plaza east of State Route 39 for services, while westbound drivers will have to ride out to Chicago.

Will they rework them to fit direct ramps to the borman down the road?

There's no indication of any work of that scope to be done to those facilities either during this project or down the road.

[NWI_Irish96]

A nice aerial view of the upcoming reroute of US 33 in Goshen in this story

http://www.wndu.com/content/news/Ceremony-for-groundbreaking-of-US-33-realignment-project-379155001.html

So why in the world would they put US33/SR15 on Main St. instead of 3rd for the stretch between Pike and Madison St.? 3rd looks like a higher quality road to me.

My memory may be rusty, but this is how I think it went down: City of Goshen wanted to take control of Main between Pike and Madison.  They upgraded 3rd in the hopes of getting 33 and 15 re-routed over to 3rd.  For some reason they didn't get approval to move 33.  Maybe it was because this project was in the works or something to do with it being a US highway.  Now that the new segment of 33 is being built that will get it off Main, I imagine they'll move 15 over to 3rd. 

So I spent some time in Goshen today.  IN 4 does now end at the city limits instead of downtown.  There are Begin and End signs at the eastern city limits.  Also, 15 and 33 are still on Main St. for now. 

[silverback1065]

the michigan st conversion is well under construction now, a lot of old business 31 signs are going down. Also, the us 31/20 bypass is in awful shape.

[billtm]

Eastbound Sagamore Parkway bridge demolished:

http://wlfi.com/2016/07/12/eastbound-sagamore-parkway-bridge-demolished/

This used to be US 52, until INDOT decided to screw up routings in the area, but I believe INDOT still owns the bridge. I'm not sure which, but one of the two bridges has the same design as the I-35(E or W) bridge that collapsed in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

[bmeiser]

I'm not sure which, but one of the two bridges has the same design as the I-35(E or W) bridge that collapsed in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

It's the one that they demolished.

[silverback1065]

ya that was a very old bridge.  I'm not sure if ownership will turn over after it's complete though.

[billtm]

So I decided to look up the bridges and I found something kind of interesting. The one that was demolished was structurally deficient, but the other one (which I presume will also be demolished) was listed as 'functionally obsolete'. According to VirginiaDOT, "Functionally obsolete bridges are those that do not have adequate lane widths, shoulder widths, or vertical clearances to serve current traffic demand, or those that may be occasionally flooded." But what about the other bridge makes it functionally obsolete? It can't be flooded and they won't 3-lane it.

[silverback1065]

So I decided to look up the bridges and I found something kind of interesting. The one that was demolished was structurally deficient, but the other one (which I presume will also be demolished) was listed as 'functionally obsolete'. According to VirginiaDOT, "Functionally obsolete bridges are those that do not have adequate lane widths, shoulder widths, or vertical clearances to serve current traffic demand, or those that may be occasionally flooded." But what about the other bridge makes it functionally obsolete? It can't be flooded and they won't 3-lane it.

The other bridge I believe will not be repaired.

[jhuntin1]

The news article linked above said that they're going to rehabilitate the remaining bridge alongside building a new one.

[billtm]

The news article linked above said that they're going to rehabilitate the remaining bridge alongside building a new one.

I was too lazy to read to the end of the article... .

[silverback1065]

this isn't really worthy of another thread, so I'll ask it here, does anyone think Lafayette should get a freeway bypass akin to i-469?  Or maybe the same thing but all at grade (so SR X65)?

[rawmustard]

this isn't really worthy of another thread, so I'll ask it here, does anyone think Lafayette should get a freeway bypass akin to i-469?  Or maybe the same thing but all at grade (so SR X65)?

I don't think there's as much traffic which bypasses Lafayette in the way it bypasses Fort Wayne. The new expressway on the west side seems more than adequate.

[Revive 755]

I don't think there's as much traffic which bypasses Lafayette in the way it bypasses Fort Wayne. The new expressway on the west side seems more than adequate.

I disagree:

* The current west side bypass already has too many stoplights.  There's more interchanges on the old US 52 alignment/Sagamore Parkway.

* Lacks a decent connection to/from I-65 on the north

* Appears to lack the ROW for future upgrades if necessary.   Might have made a good canidate for a Texas-style design - starting with frontage roads and a wide median, and upgrading as necessary.

I would certainly be curious how much traffic a high quality connection to I-65 north of Lafayette that provided better access to Purdue would get.  Also, since per Wikipedia the Lafayette area has a decent growth rate, I would eventually expect a four lane connection to I-74 to end up being looked at, which would could also increase traffic on any bypass.

[US 41]

My (INDOT thinking) solution to Lafayette would be to put US 52 on Veterans Memorial Parkway if they are going to route it over to the new US 231 alignment. Teal Rd in my opinion is hardly worthy enough to be carrying a US highway, plus it has that odd intersection at the bottom of the hill. I'd have SR 38 end at I-65 and have SRs 25 / 26 run concurrent with US 52 (and I-65) to fill the gaps. Then 4 lane US 231 down to Crawfordsville.

Using my personal brain (and not INDOT's) I'd put US 52 back onto Sagamore. 

[silverback1065]

My (INDOT thinking) solution to Lafayette would be to put US 52 on Veterans Memorial Parkway if they are going to route it over to the new US 231 alignment. Teal Rd in my opinion is hardly worthy enough to be carrying a US highway, plus it has that odd intersection at the bottom of the hill. I'd have SR 38 end at I-65 and have SRs 25 / 26 run concurrent with US 52 (and I-65) to fill the gaps. Then 4 lane US 231 down to Crawfordsville.

Using my personal brain (and not INDOT's) I'd put US 52 back onto Sagamore. 

I completely agree, but to be fair, indot does plan on redoing teal and fixing that bizzare intersection.