Ramps in Indianapolis South Split to close this summer

[ysuindy]

Closure to start after Memorial Day (i.e. after the Indy 500) and last about two months

http://www.in.gov/indot/3154.htm

INDOT plans to close the northbound Interstate 65 ramp to westbound I-70, southeast of downtown Indianapolis, after Memorial Day 2015 for approximately two months. During the closure, INDOT contractors will rehabilitate two ramp bridges that were built more than 40 years ago:

The northbound I-65 bridge over Morris and Prospect streets and
The northbound I-65 to westbound I-70 ramp bridge. This is the highest in a tri-level bridge stack over the southbound I-65 ramp to westbound I-70, mainline southbound I-65, and mainline eastbound I-70.

The rehabilitation project will modernize the two structures with improved quality and safety standards by:
Rebuilding the concrete bridge decks to provide a smoother driving surface that better protects the bridges from the elements.

Replacing existing pin joints, which are fracture critical and susceptible to corrosion, with more redundant splices to connect bridge beams across long spans, and

Rebuilding the bridge abutments that support the bridge decks on each end.

[silverback1065]

Closure to start after Memorial Day (i.e. after the Indy 500) and last about two months

http://www.in.gov/indot/3154.htm

INDOT plans to close the northbound Interstate 65 ramp to westbound I-70, southeast of downtown Indianapolis, after Memorial Day 2015 for approximately two months. During the closure, INDOT contractors will rehabilitate two ramp bridges that were built more than 40 years ago:

The northbound I-65 bridge over Morris and Prospect streets and
The northbound I-65 to westbound I-70 ramp bridge. This is the highest in a tri-level bridge stack over the southbound I-65 ramp to westbound I-70, mainline southbound I-65, and mainline eastbound I-70.

The rehabilitation project will modernize the two structures with improved quality and safety standards by:
Rebuilding the concrete bridge decks to provide a smoother driving surface that better protects the bridges from the elements.

Replacing existing pin joints, which are fracture critical and susceptible to corrosion, with more redundant splices to connect bridge beams across long spans, and

Rebuilding the bridge abutments that support the bridge decks on each end.

Why didn't they do this when they closed the entire thing last yr? It seems like they close some part of this highway every year now!  That entire multiplex is annoying, I hate how 70 comes in from the left on the south split, yet comes off from the right at the north split.  I never understood why 70 couldn't enter from the right and leave from the right eliminating the need to weave.

[tdindy88]

I wonder why we didn't just bump the South Split thread. My reasoning perhaps for why this wasn't closed when they rebuilt the area was that they wanted the interstate to "flow" into another interstate (NB 65 to WB 70) and not just end at one exit ramp. If that was closed, all of I-65 would exit off to Raymond or Prospect/Morris and it's not like no one was using that stretch of interstate. With the detour in place that would have been doable but considering all the semis that ended up going through Fountain Square I'm not sure rerouting all that traffic onto local streets would have been the best. Here, they are still rerouting some traffic onto local streets, but at least the interstate will flow into another leg of the stretch, in this case NB 65 to....NB 65 and EB 70.

I'm waiting for the day they decided to rebuilt the North Split, seriously rebuild it. Hyperfix didn't do much to it and the previous project did nothing, that may come eventually.