Update on I-69 Extension in Indiana

[Roadsguy]

INDOT even owns the land to stub I-74 right into Crawfordsville Road but didn't. (why, I am not sure)

They actually did originally until the interchange with I-465 was rebuilt about a decade ago.

[edwaleni]

INDOT even owns the land to stub I-74 right into Crawfordsville Road but didn't. (why, I am not sure)

They actually did originally until the interchange with I-465 was rebuilt about a decade ago.

That is what I thought as I have driven through there many times, but its been a decade of so.

I remember "escaping" from the pre-race parties of the Indy 500 to get to I-74 back in 1980.

[ITB]

Went up to IND on Sunday for a pick up. And, of course, since I was up that way I detoured for a quick look-see and to take a few pictures. Photos were taken Sunday, March 13, 2022, unless otherwise noted.


In Marion County, looking north toward State Road 37 from the west abutment of the future Southport Road overpass. In the background, the smokestacks of Indianapolis Power and Light's Harding Street Generating Station.


The view looking south from the west abutment of the Southport Road overpass.


The middle bent and east abutment of the Southport Road overpass; looking southeast.


Looking north from Epler Ave. toward the work zone where I-69 will pass between two quarries just south of the future I-69/I-465 system interchange. In the background (left) is a sliver of I-465, denoted where the semi heads westbound on the inner loop; also, on the far right, there's another sliver and a BGS.


Another vantage point looking north from the west abutment of the Southport Road overpass.


Long range view looking northeast toward the work zone where I-69 will pass between the quarries just north of Epler Avenue. In the deep background (center-left) are the towers of downtown Indianapolis.


The State Road 37/Southport Road intersection in Marion County; looking southeast. A tight diamond interchange will be built at this location. To avoid the taking of additional residential property, the alignment of Southport Road at this location has been shifted slightly to the north.


Another perspective of the middle bent and east abutment of the Southport Road overpass; looking northeast. Placement of the bridge beams is not too far off.


Another view looking south from the west abutment of the Southport Road overpass.


Looking north from Epler Avenue toward one of the work zone entrances where I-69 will pass between the quarries and where, just a bit further northwest (left, out of view), the ramps of the I-69/I-465 system interchange will be constructed.


And another perspective looking north from the west abutment of the Southport Road overpass. The road on the left is Belmont Ave.


Closer look of the construction of the Southport overpass; looking northeast.

According to the construction-start maps (updated November 2021) on the I-69 Finish Line webpage, construction of the I-69/I-465 system interchange is getting underway in 2022. That means we'll likely see the construction of piers for the flyover ramps in the not too distant future. Also, to begin in 2022 are the ramps and bridge for the Epler Ave./I-69 partial interchange. Previously, I-69 was planned to go over Epler Ave., but that was changed and now Epler Ave. will go over the mainline.

Minor edits for grammar and readability.

[edwaleni]

Isn't Southport going to eventually be a major E-W arterial between the Decatur /Ameriplex/Reagan extension and I-65 in the east?

Southport Road technically goes all the way across to nearly I-74, but I haven't seen any plans that go that far.

The reason I ask is that the pylons/abutment for Southport look to be very wide and expecting a lot of traffic exiting and entering here at I-69.

[Interstate 69 Fan]

Isn't Southport going to eventually be a major E-W arterial between the Decatur /Ameriplex/Reagan extension and I-65 in the east?

Southport Road technically goes all the way across to nearly I-74, but I haven't seen any plans that go that far.

The reason I ask is that the pylons/abutment for Southport look to be very wide and expecting a lot of traffic exiting and entering here at I-69.

There already is a lot of traffic at that intersection - heading eastbound before 37 it's almost always backed up to Troy.

[NWI_Irish96]

Isn't Southport going to eventually be a major E-W arterial between the Decatur /Ameriplex/Reagan extension and I-65 in the east?

Southport Road technically goes all the way across to nearly I-74, but I haven't seen any plans that go that far.

The reason I ask is that the pylons/abutment for Southport look to be very wide and expecting a lot of traffic exiting and entering here at I-69.

Yes, and there's a thread on the project: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=26794.0

[tdindy88]

Isn't Southport going to eventually be a major E-W arterial between the Decatur /Ameriplex/Reagan extension and I-65 in the east?

Southport Road technically goes all the way across to nearly I-74, but I haven't seen any plans that go that far.

The reason I ask is that the pylons/abutment for Southport look to be very wide and expecting a lot of traffic exiting and entering here at I-69.

There already is a lot of traffic at that intersection - heading eastbound before 37 it's almost always backed up to Troy.

Troy? Do you mean Tibbs? Troy Avenue is several miles north of Southport Rd. As for Southport being a major east-west arterial, it already is. It should be four lanes across from I-69 to I-65 but that will never happen. Southport Road within the city of Southport is too narrow for a widening treatment.

Now, as for major east-west corridors to be improved: Indianapolis is planning on widening County Line Road from I-69 to SR 135. The project information can be found here: https://southcountylineroad.com

And with County Line Road already four lanes from SR 135 to I-65 this will become the major road connecting the two interstates on the south side.

[edwaleni]

Isn't Southport going to eventually be a major E-W arterial between the Decatur /Ameriplex/Reagan extension and I-65 in the east?

Southport Road technically goes all the way across to nearly I-74, but I haven't seen any plans that go that far.

The reason I ask is that the pylons/abutment for Southport look to be very wide and expecting a lot of traffic exiting and entering here at I-69.

Yes, and there's a thread on the project: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=26794.0

Thank you, I had recalled this but couldn't find the thread.

[X99]

GMSV satellite imagery has updated to just south of County Line Road, showing the Smith Valley Road and SR 144 interchanges under construction. Any recent updates on those interchanges past the piles for the 144 overpass and the earthwork for Smith Valley?

[Ryctor2018]

GMSV satellite imagery has updated to just south of County Line Road, showing the Smith Valley Road and SR 144 interchanges under construction. Any recent updates on those interchanges past the piles for the 144 overpass and the earthwork for Smith Valley?

This link: https://511in.org/camera/534/@-86.27086,39.59335,12?show=incidents,normalCameras,weatherWarningsAreaEvents,plowCameras,flooding#camera/534/604449820
shows the InDOT traffic camera for the SR-37/SR-144 intersection in real-time. You can watch the progress of most of Section 6 from the various traffic cameras along future I-69 from Martinsville north to Indy.

[silverback1065]

hopefully Morgan and Johnson Counties work together to add a bridge to connect Smith Valley and Hadley (1250 N). This area will eventually develop and I see it turning into the mess that is between fishers and carmel. no bridges over white river between 116 and 146, one is being proposed at 126 to make more crossings.

[ITB]

GMSV satellite imagery has updated to just south of County Line Road, showing the Smith Valley Road and SR 144 interchanges under construction. Any recent updates on those interchanges past the piles for the 144 overpass and the earthwork for Smith Valley?

This link: https://511in.org/camera/534/@-86.27086,39.59335,12?show=incidents,normalCameras,weatherWarningsAreaEvents,plowCameras,flooding#camera/534/604449820
shows the InDOT traffic camera for the SR-37/SR-144 intersection in real-time. You can watch the progress of most of Section 6 from the various traffic cameras along future I-69 from Martinsville north to Indy.

Excellent. Thanks for bringing the camera to our attention.

hopefully Morgan and Johnson Counties work together to add a bridge to connect Smith Valley and Hadley (1250 N). This area will eventually develop and I see it turning into the mess that is between fishers and carmel. no bridges over white river between 116 and 146, one is being proposed at 126 to make more crossings.

Yup. Extending Smith Valley Road across the White River to County Road 1250N seems logical. In the past 10-15 years, several large residential developments have been built just north of Mooreville proper. And more development is underway or is planned.

Also, with development in Johnson County moving south from Greenwood into Bargersville and Banta, the I-69/SR 144 interchange may be hard pressed to handle the additional traffic. Already, there's significant traffic in the area, and it will only increase as more homes are built. INDOT and its design consultants have no doubt factored in projected traffic counts into the design of the SR 144 interchange. Nevertheless, those counts were probably from a few years back before development began to ramp up in Bargersville. I'm not saying there was a miscalculation, just pointing out that development may be outpacing the road network in the area, I-69 included.

With more homes being built in northern Morgan County, too, it seems obvious another interchange will be needed before long between Henderson Ford Road and SR 144. The logical spot is the former SR 37/Big Bend Road crossing. An interchange at this location will shift a lot of traffic away from the I-69/SR 144 interchange. Traffic on Waverly Park Road (Old SR 37), which has seen a significant jump, and where the current 35 mph speed limit is blissfully ignored by almost everyone, will meaningfully decrease as well. The planning for a new interchange needs to get underway soon before further residential development creates a problem. Moreover, the routine speeding on Waverly Park Road and on other local roads, where residents are gunning to access I-69 at SR 144 as quickly as possible, is a recipe for tragedy.

[silverback1065]

Center Grove either needs to incorporate into a city proper or Greenwood needs to annex them. 

[SSR_317]

hopefully Morgan and Johnson Counties work together to add a bridge to connect Smith Valley and Hadley (1250 N). This area will eventually develop and I see it turning into the mess that is between fishers and carmel. no bridges over white river between 116 and 146, one is being proposed at 126 to make more crossings.

Hey, you should've seen what it was like before the 96th Street bridge was built over the White River in the mid-1990s.

[jhuntin1]

Johnson County, and Greenwood in particular, has an appalling lack of roads that are continuous east-west. County Line Road is continuous between IN-37 and Five Points Road on the east side of I-65. Smith Valley Road is continuous between IN-37 and Emerson Ave. just west of I-65. All the other east-west streets in Greenwood end somewhere without crossing the city, let alone the county. IN-44 and IN-252 are the only roads I can think of that totally cross the county east to west.

[silverback1065]

Johnson County, and Greenwood in particular, has an appalling lack of roads that are continuous east-west. County Line Road is continuous between IN-37 and Five Points Road on the east side of I-65. Smith Valley Road is continuous between IN-37 and Emerson Ave. just west of I-65. All the other east-west streets in Greenwood end somewhere without crossing the city, let alone the county. IN-44 and IN-252 are the only roads I can think of that totally cross the county east to west.

they probably know this and plan to do absolutely nothing about it. 

[Interstate 69 Fan]

Looks like INDOT has posted northbound exit signs for SR 144. Couldn't get a photo unfortunately, but they look uncovered.

[tdindy88]

I saw them a couple of weeks ago. It says Exit 153, SR 144 Mooresville and Bargersville.

[Ryctor2018]

The back of the sign can be seen on the IN-144/I-69 camera that faces southbound. Surprised that the sign is up so soon. The interchange is months away from opening. I cannot tell from the camera, but does the Henderson Ford Road interchange have signage northbound? Southbound is signed, but last time I was thru there (earlier in Feb.) it wasn't signed northbound.

[tdindy88]

The back of the sign can be seen on the IN-144/I-69 camera that faces southbound. Surprised that the sign is up so soon. The interchange is months away from opening. I cannot tell from the camera, but does the Henderson Ford Road interchange have signage northbound? Southbound is signed, but last time I was thru there (earlier in Feb.) it wasn't signed northbound.

I think some of the northbound signage was there but not at the gore point itself. Also there is a northbound distance sign north of Henderson Ford Road now with distances to SR 144, I-465 and Indianapolis.

[Buck87]

Also there is a northbound distance sign north of Henderson Ford Road now with distances to SR 144, I-465 and Indianapolis.

Anyone know what the mileage to Indianapolis is based on? Going downtown via 465 to 65?

[tdindy88]

Also there is a northbound distance sign north of Henderson Ford Road now with distances to SR 144, I-465 and Indianapolis.

Anyone know what the mileage to Indianapolis is based on? Going downtown via 465 to 65?

Who knows? It could be calculated by using Harding St north to I-70 as well. Coming south to Indianapolis along I-69 the distance between I-465 and Indianapolis keeps changing, first it's ten miles between 465 and downtown, then it's 12 miles and then 11 miles. They're probably hoping you don't care exactly about the mileage.

[Ryctor2018]

If you catch this post in time the INDOT camera for IN-144/SR-37/I-69 has the feed of the intersection. The feed shows the bridge beams being placed at the future interchange.

https://511in.org/camera/534/@-86.29898,39.56027,12?show=incidents,normalCameras,weatherWarningsAreaEvents,plowCameras,flooding#camera/534/604449820

[bmeiser]

[Sapphuby]

Looks to me that this is moving along quite nicely. I guess I can keep myself updated on this project, like I did with the Bella Vista bypass.