Update on I-69 Extension in Indiana

[Henry]

More news courtesy of INDOT:

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (May 31, 2018) – The Tapp Road interchange is scheduled to open to traffic tomorrow, June 1, at 8 p.m. All travel lanes and on and off ramps will be unrestricted. The interchange will open with temporary pavement markings that will be replaced with permanent striping on Monday, June 4, under flagging operations.
Mainline paving continues on SR 37 from south of Rockport Road to the Vernal Pike overpass, which may temporarily place ramps to SR 37 from Fullerton Pike, Tapp Road, 2nd Street and 3rd Street in a Yield condition. Motorists are reminded that Yield signs indicate a driver should approach with caution, come to a complete stop if necessary and only continue onto the highway if the way is clear.
The opening of the Tapp Road interchange is expected to alleviate some of the east-west traffic congestion caused by lane restrictions on the 2nd Street and 3rd Street bridges.  Motorists are encouraged to use Fullerton Pike, Tapp Road, Vernal Pike and SR 46 for cross town trips.

That was fast.   The Tapp Road interchange construction was only started a year ago...

At least IN is serious about completing its section of I-69!

[ITB]

As noted in a recent post, the Tapp Road/State Road 37 interchange was fully opened June 1, 2018. Here's a few pictures of the new interchange just prior to opening. Photos were taken Friday, June 1.

Interchange – Tapp Road/State Road 37 (future I-69)

The Tapp Road/State Road 37 interchange in Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana just two hours before the official opening; looking southeast. In the foreground is a Right-of-Way marker.


Another view of the Tapp Road/SR 37 interchange just prior to opening; looking southeast. It rapidly clouded over during the few minutes I was taking photos.


Closer look at a Right-of-Way marker near the Tapp Road interchange.


Long range view of the Tapp Road interchange; looking southeast.


Looking north from near the Tapp Road/SR 37 interchange toward the Second Street/Bloomfield Road (SR 45) interchange.

Up next. Photos of the interchange after opening.

[ITB]

On Saturday, June 2, I ventured out again for a look-see of the newly opened Tapp Road interchange as well as elsewhere. Photos were taken June 2, 2018, unless otherwise noted.

Interchange – Tapp Road/State Road 37 (future Interstate 69)

Looking north toward the overpass that will carry Tapp Road over Interstate 69 in Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana.


Slightly different perspective; looking north.


Long range view, with the new sound wall on the right; looking north.


Signage on the approach to the Tapp Road interchange; looking east. Hmm ... I really do need to get the camera lens professionally cleaned.


Another view of the signage; looking east.

More to come.

[seicer]

Just do a simple sensor cleaning. What camera do you use? There is a solution you can get to dab on some sealed swabs that fit each sensor type - takes 5 minutes tops.

[ITB]

Just do a simple sensor cleaning. What camera do you use? There is a solution you can get to dab on some sealed swabs that fit each sensor type - takes 5 minutes tops.

Thanks for the info. I'll look into it.

[ITB]

Here's a few of the Vernal Pike overpass, both present and past. Photos were taken Saturday, June 2, 2018, unless otherwise noted.

Overpass and Roadway – Vernal Pike – The Present

Vernal Pike and the overpass (background) that will carry Vernal Pike/17th Street over Interstate 69 in Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana; looking east. The concrete median barrier wall of State Road 37 (future Interstate 69) is in the background right.


Closer look of Vernal Pike and the overpass; looking east. Note the ConSpan® bridge element, which allows N. Packing House Road to go under Vernal Pike.

Vernal Pike work zone – The Past

The ConSpan® bridge just after installation in the fall of 2015; looking north. A product of Contech Engineered Solutions, the bridge components are built off site then trucked in and assembled. This particular model is an O-Series® Twin Leaf. Photo was taken September 22, 2015.


The scene of the Vernal Pike work zone and the ConSpan® bridge in late 2015; looking east. Photo was taken December 15, 2015.


Construction at Vernal Pike in late winter 2016; looking east. Photo was taken February 22, 2016.


Vernal Pike as it was in the fall of 2016; looking east. Photo was taken October 26, 2016.


Finally, getting it paved up during the winter of 2016/17. I don't have an exact photo date, but, it appears to be c. February 2017.

Vernal Pike – The Present

Long range view; looking east.

Up next: The Chambers Pike work zone.

[AsphaltPlanet]

Just do a simple sensor cleaning. What camera do you use? There is a solution you can get to dab on some sealed swabs that fit each sensor type - takes 5 minutes tops.

Thanks for the info. I'll look into it.

This is what I use, works great, and is pretty easy to do:
https://www.amazon.ca/VSGO-Digital-Camera-Sensor-Cleaning/dp/B00LSNUASK/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2/135-4054993-4129754?ie=UTF8&qid=1528127635&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=aps-c+sensor+cleaning+wand

Stopping down your aperture and using a faster shutter speed can also minimize the visibility of sensor dust on your image.

thanks for the photos though, you do a great job, cool looking freeway.  I went through there in April on the way back from the south.  They were really moving, though the long distance single lane closure was pretty annoying.

[ITB]

Here's a few of the Chambers Pike work zone in northern Monroe County, Indiana. Photos were taken Saturday, June 2, 2018.

Overpass – Chambers Pike

The overpass that will carry Chambers Pike over Interstate 69 in Monroe County, Indiana; looking east. Chambers Pike, where it meets SR 37, is roughly 8 1/2 miles north of the city of Bloomington.


Closer look at the state of construction of the Chambers Pike overpass; looking east. The deck has been poured and work is progressing on the side wall and approach slabs.


The view of State Road 37 and the new local access road from the Chambers Pike overpass; looking slightly southeast. The local access or frontage road, located on the right, will run underneath the Chambers Pike overpass and link into Mann Road about a quarter mile to the north.


Another view of construction of the concrete barrier wall near the Chambers Pike overpass; looking south.


Looking north toward State Road 37 from the Chambers Pike overpass. The local access road will swing left to connect to Mann Road (pictured), which will then link into Burma Road. When complete, this entire stretch of frontage roadway will be signed Burma Road.


Another perspective of State Road 37 from the Chambers Pike overpass; looking north. Up ahead is where the mainline roadway splits to pass through the "big hill" that roughly delineates the hill country of southern Indiana from the more flatter terrain of the north.


Looking south toward SR 37 from the Chambers Pike overpass. On the right is new local access road, separated from the southbound mainline by a concrete barrier wall. To the left is the eastern local access road, which is, to some extent, an extension of the old northbound lanes of SR 37, now utilized as a frontage road. That road, which links into the Sample Road interchange about two miles south, also will intersect with Chambers Pike near the overpass.


Chambers Pike and the Chambers Pike overpass, with future I-69 to the left; looking northeast.


Mid-range view looking north toward the Chambers Pike overpass. The eastern frontage road, still unpaved, is on the right; it swings around to intersect with Chambers Pike.


Closer look at the Chambers Pike overpass with a piece of construction equipment in the foreground; looking east.

That's it for now. As you can see, there's still a lot of work to do, but we're getting close, very close, to the completion of Section 5.

[silverback1065]

what is with indot in constantly putting in the wrong font on the SR 37 signs? also the junction plate is the wrong color. 

[Life in Paradise]

ITB, thanks for the pix update.  I am so ready to make a road trip up to Indianapolis on the new I-69 and not have to worry about the construction delays and traffic.  Bring on the new interstate shields!

[KEVIN_224]

I noticed "BLOOMINGTON" in big letters on one of those overpasses. Is that roughly where the city line is?

[tdindy88]

I believe those are just for decoration. If I recall I think the boundary of Bloomington along the west side actually follows I-69/SR 37 in that area. That and Indiana typically doesn't mark city boundaries on interstates.

[thefro]

https://bloomington.in.gov/interactive/maps/citymap

Fullerton exit is the southern boundary of Bloomington at the moment (on the east side of SR 37)

Bloomington's looking to annex quite a bit on the west side of SR-37/future I-69

https://bloomington.in.gov/gisdata/mapgallery/Annexation/2017/Proposed/Bloomington-AnnexAreaPresentationMap.pdf

There's a lawsuit going on since the State Legislature dropped something in the 2017 budget at the last second to stop the annexations in Bloomington (written as to only target Bloomington)  until 2022.
http://www.idsnews.com/article/2018/01/annexation-lawsuit-appeal-denied-case-will-continue

[ITB]

I noticed "BLOOMINGTON" in big letters on one of those overpasses. Is that roughly where the city line is?

The signage on the overpass is officially called a "community identifier." Back in 2014, the public was given an opportunity to vote on various aesthetic treatment options of the overpasses within the city of Bloomington. Among these were the style of ornamental lighting, type of railing treatment, type of stone finish of the abutments, whether the community identifier should be placed on the overpass or adjacent, and the style of the community identifier, for instance white on red or white on black.

Tapp Road overpass

Close up look of the aesthetic treatment of the Tapp Road overpass in Bloomington. Photo was taken June 2, 2018.

Overall, in my opinion, the aesthetic treatment of the overpasses has turned out well. Initially, I preferred the community identifier to be placed adjacent to the overpass, but now it seems more appropriate to be on the overpass. There is one decision about the community identifier selection, however, that still rankles. On the SR 45/46 overpass – the principal entrance to downtown Bloomington and Indiana University – it was decided one of the identifiers will be "Ellettsville." Egad! The town of Ellettsville is five miles to west on SR 46. It doesn't make any sense and reflects extremely poor judgement. Here we have the main I-69 interchange leading into Indiana University, and its tagged Ellettsville? At the very least, the community identifier should be Bloomington, or better yet, "Indiana University." Maybe the SR 45/46 overpass identifier has been changed in the four years since 2014. I certainly hope so.

[tdindy88]

Personally if Bloomington has to go through all the pain of the construction of Section 5 of I-69, which as we all know is several years late, then they should have an aesthetic pleasing highway for their city in my personal opinion. I wish INDOT would do some bridges approaching Indianapolis with the city name placed on the bridges with some checker-board pattern on them (similar to the checkered flag at the Indy 500.) I believe Lebanon, Fishers and Valparaiso has a new overpass along I-65, I-69 and SR 49 that have a treatment like this.

As for Ellettsville, yikes! Have they actually put that on the bridge? Honestly they should just stick to Bloomington on the main bridges along the highway, maybe with a Monroe County identifier at the Chambers Pike overpass for southbound traffic and at the SR 37 split for northbound traffic.

[Plutonic Panda]

Vernal Pike – The Present

Long range view; looking east.

Up next: The Chambers Pike work zone.

Pardon my ignorance, but why is the road curved that much? Cost saving due to the Hill?

[ITB]

^^^^

Pardon my ignorance, but why is the road curved that much? Cost saving due to the Hill?

There's a major underground sewage installation near where the road curves, and it was decided to bring the road around it rather than over it.

[thefro]

http://www.wbiw.com/local/archive/2018/06/sample-road-interchange-to-open-fri.php

Sample road interchange going to be opened except the ramp from Sample to northbound SR 37 today.  Full interchange scheduled to open mid-July

The Sample Road interchange is anticipated to open to traffic at or around 4 p.m. on Friday, June 8.

Three of the four ramps in the system will be available to motorists: the southbound State Road 37 on and off ramps, and the off ramp from northbound State Road 37 to Sample Road. The ramp from Sample Road to northbound State Road 37 is anticipated to open in mid-July.

[ITB]

Section 6 Update

On June 6, 2018, the Herald-Times, the main newspaper for South-Central Indiana, ran an in-depth story detailing the status and forthcoming construction plan of Section 6. As the article is behind a paywall, I'll only quote a section, but will outline the germane points below.

Details still in works for I-69 Section 6; construction to start in 2019

By Michael Reschke 812-331-4370 | mreschke@heraldt.com    Jun 6, 2018

Construction on Interstate 69 Section 6 is expected to start in 2019 and continue until 2027, but funding has only been allocated through 2022.

This was one of several unknowns shared in an update on Section 6 during the Indiana Chamber's I-69 + P3 Summit on Wednesday at the Monroe Convention Center.

While the footprint of the 26-mile interstate project that runs from Martinsville to Indianapolis has been determined, finer details have yet to be worked out. For instance, Section 6 will be divided into five segments with five separate designers, but only one of those designers has been chosen.

The Martinsville segment runs from Indian Creek to one mile north of Ind. 44. HNTB, an architecture, civil engineering consulting and construction management firm based in Kansas City, has been selected to design it. Project managers from INDOT's Seymour District will manage this segment.

Bids for construction around the main highway, such as access roads, will be accepted in December. Construction is expected to begin in early 2019. Bids for highway construction in the Martinsville segment will be accepted in July of 2019. Construction on the highway is expected to begin in late 2019 or early 2020.

...

Other pertinent points from the article include:

- INDOT will use its traditional design-build method on Segments 1—4, and a design-build-best-value method for Segment 5 in Marion County. The latter method allows INDOT to consider other factors rather than just the low bid when selecting a contractor.
- Construction of Section 6 remains budgeted at $1.5 billion. $500 million already has been allocated to the project, which will provide funding through the year 2022. There is funding to cover the project's entire cost, but exactly what part of the budget it will come from has yet to be determined.
- INDOT will be soliciting proposals from potential design firms for the middle three segments in July 2018. It is not yet known when the request for design proposals of the project's final Marion County segment (Segment 5) – a half mile north of Wicker Road to I-465 – will get underway.

To summarize what we've learned, in addition to the above:
- Section 6 has been divided into five segments for construction purposes
- Section 6 will be designed and constructed in the traditional method; no public-private partnership.
- Separate contracts for the mainline segment(s) and the new local access, or frontage, road project(s) will be bid.
- The initial local access road construction contract of the Martinsville segment (Segment 1) will be let in December 2018, with work to begin in early 2019.
- The contract for mainline work of the Martinsville segment will be let in July 2019, with work getting underway in either late 2019 or early 2020
- HNTB, a firm based in Kansas City, has been tapped to design Segment 1, the Martinsville segment, which runs from just south of Indian Creek to one mile north of SR 44.

Article link (behind a paywall): https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/news/local/details-still-in-works-for-i--section-construction-to/article_8be2afc8-d2f1-5c3f-8f20-82b22c3baae6.html

[GreenLanternCorps]

Section 6 Update

On June 6, 2018, the Herald-Times, the main newspaper for South-Central Indiana, ran an in-depth story detailing the status and forthcoming construction plan of Section 6. As the article is behind a paywall, I'll only quote a section, but will outline the germane points below.

Details still in works for I-69 Section 6; construction to start in 2019

By Michael Reschke 812-331-4370 | mreschke@heraldt.com    Jun 6, 2018

Construction on Interstate 69 Section 6 is expected to start in 2019 and continue until 2027, but funding has only been allocated through 2022.

This was one of several unknowns shared in an update on Section 6 during the Indiana Chamber’s I-69 + P3 Summit on Wednesday at the Monroe Convention Center.

While the footprint of the 26-mile interstate project that runs from Martinsville to Indianapolis has been determined, finer details have yet to be worked out. For instance, Section 6 will be divided into five segments with five separate designers, but only one of those designers has been chosen.

The Martinsville segment runs from Indian Creek to one mile north of Ind. 44. HNTB, an architecture, civil engineering consulting and construction management firm based in Kansas City, has been selected to design it. Project managers from INDOT’s Seymour District will manage this segment.

Bids for construction around the main highway, such as access roads, will be accepted in December. Construction is expected to begin in early 2019. Bids for highway construction in the Martinsville segment will be accepted in July of 2019. Construction on the highway is expected to begin in late 2019 or early 2020.

...

Other pertinent points from the article include:

• INDOT will use its traditional design-build method on Segments 1–4, and a design-build-best-value method for Segment 5 in Marion County. The latter method allows INDOT to consider other factors rather than just the low bid when selecting a contractor.
• Construction of Section 6 remains budgeted at $1.5 billion. $500 million already has been allocated to the project, which will provide funding through the year 2022. There is funding to cover the project's entire cost, but exactly what part of the budget it will come from has yet to be determined.
• INDOT will be soliciting proposals from potential design firms for the middle three segments in July 2018. It is not yet known when the request for design proposals of the project's final Marion County segment (Segment 5) — a half mile north of Wicker Road to I-465 — will get underway.

To summarize what we've learned, in addition to the above:
• Section 6 has been divided into five segments for construction purposes
• Section 6 will be designed and constructed in the traditional method; no public-private partnership.
• Separate contracts for the mainline segment(s) and the new local access, or frontage, road project(s) will be bid.
• The initial local access road construction contract of the Martinsville segment (Segment 1) will be let in December 2018, with work to begin in early 2019.
• The contract for mainline work of the Martinsville segment will be let in July 2019, with work getting underway in either late 2019 or early 2020
• HNTB, a firm based in Kansas City, has been tapped to design Segment 1, the Martinsville segment, which runs from just south of Indian Creek to one mile north of SR 44.

Article link (behind a paywall): https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/news/local/details-still-in-works-for-i--section-construction-to/article_8be2afc8-d2f1-5c3f-8f20-82b22c3baae6.html

So, I am guessing the state wants more leeway with segment 5 because the I-69/I-465 interchange is going to be too complex and important to leave to the lowest bidder...

I also like the fact that construction on Section 6 Segment 1 is starting almost as soon as Section 5 is done.

[Life in Paradise]

Part of me wishes that the state would start from Indianapolis south on the project.  That way they would get the I-465 intersection and the first couple of miles completed with the initial construction on this phases.  That would be some of the worst traffic areas solved.  The Martinsville construction will be a cluster @#&$ with using the current roadway.  They really need to make sure that someone has set up a contract to pave IN-39 through Martinsville, because many of us will be using that to get over to IN-67.

[abqtraveler]

Section 6 Update

On June 6, 2018, the Herald-Times, the main newspaper for South-Central Indiana, ran an in-depth story detailing the status and forthcoming construction plan of Section 6. As the article is behind a paywall, I'll only quote a section, but will outline the germane points below.

Details still in works for I-69 Section 6; construction to start in 2019

By Michael Reschke 812-331-4370 | mreschke@heraldt.com    Jun 6, 2018

Construction on Interstate 69 Section 6 is expected to start in 2019 and continue until 2027, but funding has only been allocated through 2022.

This was one of several unknowns shared in an update on Section 6 during the Indiana Chamber's I-69 + P3 Summit on Wednesday at the Monroe Convention Center.

While the footprint of the 26-mile interstate project that runs from Martinsville to Indianapolis has been determined, finer details have yet to be worked out. For instance, Section 6 will be divided into five segments with five separate designers, but only one of those designers has been chosen.

The Martinsville segment runs from Indian Creek to one mile north of Ind. 44. HNTB, an architecture, civil engineering consulting and construction management firm based in Kansas City, has been selected to design it. Project managers from INDOT's Seymour District will manage this segment.

Bids for construction around the main highway, such as access roads, will be accepted in December. Construction is expected to begin in early 2019. Bids for highway construction in the Martinsville segment will be accepted in July of 2019. Construction on the highway is expected to begin in late 2019 or early 2020.

...

Other pertinent points from the article include:

- INDOT will use its traditional design-build method on Segments 1—4, and a design-build-best-value method for Segment 5 in Marion County. The latter method allows INDOT to consider other factors rather than just the low bid when selecting a contractor.
- Construction of Section 6 remains budgeted at $1.5 billion. $500 million already has been allocated to the project, which will provide funding through the year 2022. There is funding to cover the project's entire cost, but exactly what part of the budget it will come from has yet to be determined.
- INDOT will be soliciting proposals from potential design firms for the middle three segments in July 2018. It is not yet known when the request for design proposals of the project's final Marion County segment (Segment 5) – a half mile north of Wicker Road to I-465 – will get underway.

To summarize what we've learned, in addition to the above:
- Section 6 has been divided into five segments for construction purposes
- Section 6 will be designed and constructed in the traditional method; no public-private partnership.
- Separate contracts for the mainline segment(s) and the new local access, or frontage, road project(s) will be bid.
- The initial local access road construction contract of the Martinsville segment (Segment 1) will be let in December 2018, with work to begin in early 2019.
- The contract for mainline work of the Martinsville segment will be let in July 2019, with work getting underway in either late 2019 or early 2020
- HNTB, a firm based in Kansas City, has been tapped to design Segment 1, the Martinsville segment, which runs from just south of Indian Creek to one mile north of SR 44.

Article link (behind a paywall): https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/news/local/details-still-in-works-for-i--section-construction-to/article_8be2afc8-d2f1-5c3f-8f20-82b22c3baae6.html

So, I am guessing the state wants more leeway with segment 5 because the I-69/I-465 interchange is going to be too complex and important to leave to the lowest bidder...

I also like the fact that construction on Section 6 Segment 1 is starting almost as soon as Section 5 is done.

I surmise that INDOT is taking a different procurement approach to Segment 5 as they may be thinking about including the reconstruction of adjacent sections of I-465 into the mix. If I-69 follows I-465 around the east side of Indy, the southern quadrant of I-465 will have to be completely reconstructed and widened to handle the additional traffic coming from I-69. Not as much of an issue if I-69 follows I-465 around the north and west side since those legs were widened years ago, but still INDOT may be looking for whatever opportunities it can find to widen the southern portion of 465 and rolling that into I-69 work would make at least some sense.

[SSR_317]

I surmise that INDOT is taking a different procurement approach to Segment 5 as they may be thinking about including the reconstruction of adjacent sections of I-465 into the mix. If I-69 follows I-465 around the east side of Indy, the southern quadrant of I-465 will have to be completely reconstructed and widened to handle the additional traffic coming from I-69. Not as much of an issue if I-69 follows I-465 around the north and west side since those legs were widened years ago, but still INDOT may be looking for whatever opportunities it can find to widen the southern portion of 465 and rolling that into I-69 work would make at least some sense.

That has always been the plan. The FEIS for Section 6 shows that a rebuild of I-465 from the partial interchange at Mann Rd (Exit 7) to a point just west of the US 31/East Street interchange (Exit 2) will be part of this project. Also, the Harding Street (Exit 4 - existing SR 37) interchange on I-465 will remain in place, with its western ramps rebuilt to interlace with the new System Interchange (Exit 5) ramps for I-69. The I-465 work could be broken out into a separate contract, like they are doing with the Local Access roads in Martinsville. But that decision is still likely somewhere down the road (pun unintentional).

[silverback1065]

69 was always going around the east side.  west side would be terrible, the highway needs to be widened from 86th street over to us 31. 

[bmeiser]

69 was always going around the east side.  west side would be terrible, the highway needs to be widened from 86th street over to us 31.

Not to mention the awful northwest corner of 465.