Indiana Notes

[ITB]

I'm not sure that the Mid-States Corridor is going to do much beyond the stretch between I-64 and Jasper.  Traffic drops off significantly after you get out of Jasper on the north side.  My play would be to go northeast from Jasper to better access the northern area of Patoka Lake, bend around French Lick and Paoli and then go up 37.  That would give some more access to tourist areas (Patoka Lake, French Lick casinos, Paoli Peaks tall hill" skiiing) and then also serve other industry that are in the Paoli area.  It also would be farther from the I-69 corridor to help the region.

That's Route O, one of the options currently under consideration. The preferred corridor will be identified when the DEIS is released early next year. Maps of the Mid-State Corridor project's potential corridors can be found here.

[Life in Paradise]

I'm not sure that the Mid-States Corridor is going to do much beyond the stretch between I-64 and Jasper.  Traffic drops off significantly after you get out of Jasper on the north side.  My play would be to go northeast from Jasper to better access the northern area of Patoka Lake, bend around French Lick and Paoli and then go up 37.  That would give some more access to tourist areas (Patoka Lake, French Lick casinos, Paoli Peaks tall hill" skiiing) and then also serve other industry that are in the Paoli area.  It also would be farther from the I-69 corridor to help the region.

That's Route O, one of the options currently under consideration. The preferred corridor will be identified when the DEIS is released early next year. Maps of the Mid-State Corridor project's potential corridors can be found here.

I've seen those options.  They've been playing around with US 231 there since the 70s when they put the super two from Huntingburg to just south of Jasper, then a bit later went around some businesses/car dealerships with another super two to dump you right into the heart of Jasper.  They moved another highway to skirt the south side of town.  What has happened since?  Some businesses left one road that is no longer a state highway, and they are building places on the new  super two highway and you enter at traffic lights.  Nothing like redoing a project several times, and then looking at doing it right so that you now have to spend three to four times the amount plus the earlier expense.

[Great Lakes Roads]

Copying this from the "Freeway Entrance" signage thread, but I have found ANOTHER "Freeway Entrance" sign in Indiana! (I-69 NB onramp at S Green River Road in Evansville)

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.9383443,-87.4927013,3a,15y,189.42h,90.21t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNAMUDZ6YMHO9Rue8g6OZRQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

[silverback1065]

SR 56 Officially no longer goes through Madison anymore, but continuity has been preserved. it multiplexes with 62 and 421 to stay in tact. SR 7 now just dies at main st, but i expect them to rid themselves of it south of 62/56 clifty dr.

[NWI_Irish96]

SR 56 Officially no longer goes through Madison anymore, but continuity has been preserved. it multiplexes with 62 and 421 to stay in tact. SR 7 now just dies at main st, but i expect them to rid themselves of it south of 62/56 clifty dr.

A couple questions: Is there any press release or news article documenting this change? Has new signage been put up along 62/421 reflecting the change and has the old signage been removed? What about the very short segment of 256 between 62 and what used to be 56?

Need this info to pass along to mapcat so he can update TravelMapping.

[silverback1065]

SR 56 Officially no longer goes through Madison anymore, but continuity has been preserved. it multiplexes with 62 and 421 to stay in tact. SR 7 now just dies at main st, but i expect them to rid themselves of it south of 62/56 clifty dr.

A couple questions: Has new signage been put up along 62/421 reflecting the change and has the old signage been removed? What about the very short segment of 256 between 62 and what used to be 56?

Google Maps confirms field signage has been changed to reflect this as of 11/2021. that tiny part of 256 is gone too but i suspect that piece is a secret state road. 56 is now signed along 62 and 421 and thankfully very well too, its on the bgs at the roundabout too. usually indot half asses these things. look at us 12 where it overlaps 912. 7 still just ends where it used to but i bet INDOT is desperately trying to give that away too. this happened when they completed the 421 ohio river bridge approach. that is also on google maps. Well the jct with 421 right by the bridge is poorly signed. 

[ITB]

An interesting article in the January 2022 issue of Roads & Bridges reports on how INDOT and a contractor, Force Construction, utilized cutting-edge concrete tech to replace the US 52 bridge over Mud Creek in Rush County. The project, which employed an all-precast accelerated construction method using carbon nanofiber UHPC (Ultra High Performance Concrete), was the first of its kind in Indiana.

The article can be accessed here.

[hockeyjohn]

INDOT's website says it will no longer print copies of its highway map but will maintain a version on-line.

[bmeiser]

INDOT's website says it will no longer print copies of its highway map but will maintain a version on-line.

This makes me very sad.

[jhuntin1]

INDOT's website says it will no longer print copies of its highway map but will maintain a version on-line.

With smart phones and GPS being so prevalent I can understand why they made this decision, but it makes me sad that I'll never own an Indiana road map with a completed I-69 (among other projects). It's a shame that the print versions will cease entirely.

[triplemultiplex]

If that was my home state, I'd almost consider taking the pdf to a UPS store or whatever and have them print it out on a plotter at like 24x36.

[skluth]

If that was my home state, I'd almost consider taking the pdf to a UPS store or whatever and have them print it out on a plotter at like 24x36.

I believe they've anticipated that. The INDOT site has a link that states "View or Print a 2021 Indiana Roadway Map." (emphasis mine) Weirdly, it only prints the old front side which means the only city map on the state map is the capital.

[tdindy88]

If that was my home state, I'd almost consider taking the pdf to a UPS store or whatever and have them print it out on a plotter at like 24x36.

I believe they've anticipated that. The INDOT site has a link that states "View or Print a 2021 Indiana Roadway Map." (emphasis mine) Weirdly, it only prints the old front side which means the only city map on the state map is the capital.

The only city map the state map has had for over a decade now is Indianapolis. Indiana's been cheap when it comes to their highway map since the Daniels administration. I think it was 2009-2010 the last time city maps were included. Then they started making it a touristy kind of map with useless ads on the back and the state map on the front with just the small Indy inset instead.

I really hate Indiana being a cheapskate sometimes. I mean, every other state around us still has a printed map so what gives with us. Oh yeah, saving money. Honest to Goodness Indiana!

[SSR_317]

The only city map the state map has had for over a decade now is Indianapolis. Indiana's been cheap when it comes to their highway map since the Daniels administration. I think it was 2009-2010 the last time city maps were included. Then they started making it a touristy kind of map with useless ads on the back and the state map on the front with just the small Indy inset instead.

I really hate Indiana being a cheapskate sometimes. I mean, every other state around us still has a printed map so what gives with us. Oh yeah, saving money. Honest to Goodness Indiana!

Don't get me started on Mitch Daniels! To leave politics out of this, I'll just say he's now doing to Purdue University (as its current President) what he did to the entire state as Governor.

[bmeiser]

Finding creative ways to improve the campus (state) without putting the burden on students (taxpayers)? What a monster!

[mukade]

The INDOT letting list has the I-65 widening in Tippecanoe County that was rejected back on the schedule for the January letting. It looks like the contract is broken into eight separate items so presumably they can at least get the widening part awarded even if the interchange work slips.

[Lyon Wonder]

If that was my home state, I'd almost consider taking the pdf to a UPS store or whatever and have them print it out on a plotter at like 24x36.

I believe they've anticipated that. The INDOT site has a link that states "View or Print a 2021 Indiana Roadway Map." (emphasis mine) Weirdly, it only prints the old front side which means the only city map on the state map is the capital.

The only city map the state map has had for over a decade now is Indianapolis. Indiana's been cheap when it comes to their highway map since the Daniels administration. I think it was 2009-2010 the last time city maps were included. Then they started making it a touristy kind of map with useless ads on the back and the state map on the front with just the small Indy inset instead.

I really hate Indiana being a cheapskate sometimes. I mean, every other state around us still has a printed map so what gives with us. Oh yeah, saving money. Honest to Goodness Indiana!

Indiana isn't alone when it comes to problems with official highway maps.  Illinois usually releases an updated official state highway map once every 2 years during July or August and the newest map should have been 2021, but IDOT didn't release a new map last year and they still have the 2019 map on the their website. 

The quality of the 2019-20 Illinois map wasn't that great compared to the previous 2017 and earlier editions since some non-interstate roads that are supposed to be limited access freeways are marked as expressways and the city map inserts no longer show detailed interchanges and replaced them with a white square.

https://idot.illinois.gov/transportation-system/Network-Overview/highway-system/maps

[SSR_317]

Finding creative ways to improve the campus (state) without putting the burden on students (taxpayers)? What a monster!

Only if turning a once great institution into a another right-wing conformity factory is an "improvement". That being said, let's agree to disagree and turn our focus back to roads & transportation.

[mukade]

The vast majority of the items in the INDOT letting yesterday resulted in all contractors bids being over the engineer's estimates. At least the I-65 widening project in Tippecanoe county had one bid barely below the estimate so I assume that will be awarded without a problem.

Apparently, the engineers' estimates are not accounting for our high inflation rate so it will be interesting to see how INDOT handles things going forward.

[silverback1065]

The vast majority of the items in the INDOT letting yesterday resulted in all contractors bids being over the engineer's estimates. At least the I-65 widening project in Tippecanoe county had one bid barely below the estimate so I assume that will be awarded without a problem.

Apparently, the engineers' estimates are not accounting for our high inflation rate so it will be interesting to see how INDOT handles things going forward.

the 65 job sold to walsh i believe for like 99.5 mil i think 

[mukade]

Yep. This is from yesterday:

- WALSH CONSTRUCTION COMPANY II LLC $99,415,926.33

Engineer's Estimate listed at $99,481,491.68

This was one from the previous letting.

- WALSH CONSTRUCTION COMPANY II LLC $102,441,235.29 Rejected

[mukade]

The Michigan left turns at the intersection of Allisonville Rd. and 96th St. on the Fishers/Indianapolis boundary will apparently be replaced by a roundabout. I can't find a link to the article, but you can find the story on the NewsBreak mobile app when you select Fishers as your location. This project would be done as a part of a new $98M mixed use/residential development.

I think this roundabout would serve busier streets than the Olio Rd. / Southeastern Pkwy. / 136th St. roundabout in Fishers which is pretty accident-prone and often difficult to navigate.

[silverback1065]

The Michigan left turns at the intersection of Allisonville Rd. and 96th St. on the Fishers/Indianapolis boundary will apparently be replaced by a roundabout. I can't find a link to the article, but you can find the story on the NewsBreak mobile app when you select Fishers as your location. This project would be done as a part of a new $98M mixed use/residential development.

I think this roundabout would serve busier streets than the Olio Rd. / Southeastern Pkwy. / 136th St. roundabout in Fishers which is pretty accident-prone and often difficult to navigate.

are you sure its not going to be like the roundabout interchange at 146th and allisonville (Coming soon)

[mukade]

It says roundabout, and there is now an article on the web.

A while back, I thought I read that the Allisonville Rd. and 116th St intersection in Fishers might also become a roundabout (or otherwise improved).

[silverback1065]

It says roundabout, and there is now an article on the web.

A while back, I thought I read that the Allisonville Rd. and 116th St intersection in Fishers might also become a roundabout (or otherwise improved).

interesting, i wonder if that will actually work. i feel like there would be a lot of "bullying" of movements (when 1 movement has a very high volume in relation to another and causes the smaller movement to be bullied and back up).