INDOT to close I-65/I-70 in Indianapolis for 90 days - increase bridge clearance

[ysuindy]

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

INDOT will lower the roadway beneath 7 bridges between the North Split and South Split in an attempt to reduce the number of times overheight vehicles strike the bridges.

This is going to be a huge cluster for commuters - hoping my back road detour from the Hyperfix will still work.

[tdindy88]

Looks like it will be the sequel to Hyperfix. I doubt that there is a connection, but the state just saved some $23 million yesterday from the US 31 project, a quick checkup on the price does tout this project as costing between $15 and $20 million. Also, there is still a lot of button-copy sigange around that area (all but the newer Washington Street exit) so I wonder if those will be bitting the dust this fall.

[nwi_navigator_1181]

It's a good thing work on the south and west legs of I-465 are completed. The extra lanes will be needed to handle the inevitable swell of traffic that's going to take place.

Funny how this takes place 10 years after Hyperfix v1.0.

[silverback1065]

Great idea INDOT, they also need to get better at posting bridge clearances, it's a rare sight in may places in the state.

[UptownRoadGeek]

Did anyone catch the video on the project home page? Sadly, I found it hilarious.

[tdindy88]

Sounds like something that you could play the Benny Hill theme with. And just to hit the point (no pun intended) home about the project, another truck hit the Virginia Avenue bridge today. And there are warning signs leading up to the South Split interchange warning about the low clearance, so there is sufficent warning given about that. You can't fix stupid, but you can lower the roadway I guess.

As for the I-465 beltway, the west side is completely redone, but the southern part hasn't seen any work on it in at least a couple or so decades. That interchange with 65 and 465, the one being rebuilt next year may have some increased traffic as all thru traffic will be forced off the mainline and onto the one-lane exit ramp leading to 465.

[PurdueBill]

The day after they announce this: another hit.

And there's something wrong with this graphic from the Indianapolis Star....

[agentsteel53]

if not "household cats are 14 feet tall", then what exactly were they intending there?

it's clearly an error, but ... for what?

[andy]

Re: the Star's article, I had to chuckle too, but it looks like what they are demonstrating is the range of heights involved spans about the same as a typical household cat. 

It is often confusing to use a non-zero base/reference for a chart like this.

[PurdueBill]

Yep, the non-zero and poorly-labeled baseline is the real problem.  Why not label 13'6 on the y-axis with 14 and 15?  The graphic is begging to be read as showing a 14-foot cat. 

Somewhere else is posted another person's graphic clearing up the first graphic as described.  When you need a graphic to explain your graphic, it probably means that your graphic wasn't very good! 

It would have been a lot clearer to more clearly show that below the arrows is meant to be a trailer (not a fading-shaded rectangle) and that the heights are above that.  Heck, it may have been clearer without the cat!

(Also, while the credit to an artist at the Star is given, the "Source: INDOT" gives a slight impression that INDOT thinks that a cat is 14 feet tall while sitting!)

[JMoses24]

14 foot tall cat...SMH.

Also, when the bridge got hit just 24 hours AFTER an announcement of work to fix the problem? Yeah, kinda late there, and you probably should ban oversize loads on that stretch for the time being.

[NE2]

Seems clear enough to me. The cat is sitting on top of a 13'6" truck.

[UptownRoadGeek]

They were trying to convey the amount of space between the bottoms of the bridges and the tops of the trailers compared to a house cat. In other words, a 1'-9" cat would not fit under the bridge if it was on top of a truck. Horrible idea.

[tvketchum]

They were trying to convey the amount of space between the bottoms of the bridges and the tops of the trailers compared to a house cat. In other words, a 1'-9" cat would not fit under the bridge if it was on top of a truck. Horrible idea.

It could, if it ducked. My cat fits under a four inch opening to hide all the time.

[silverback1065]

The road is scheduled to be closed from the day after Labor Day to Halloween.  They have a deal with the contractor that if they finish early they get money for each day they finish early (I forget the exact dollar amount), so this could get done really fast!

[NWI_Irish96]

Went through Indy on I-65 both ways this weekend and the electronic signs as you approach I-465 both have messages about height restrictions on I-65/70. 

[NWI_Irish96]

This closure is now in place.

[ysuindy]

First morning rush did not go too badly for me.  My alternative route from hyperfix worked well for me.  I normally take 69-465-70 to get downtown.  Alternate route for me is to take 465 down to Brookville Road.  Brookville to English to Southeastern to Washington Street just East of the construction zone.

This entire situation just continues to expose the ineptitude of our state government. (1) - Why wasn't this resolved with Hyperfix and (2) why did it take until the last 60 days to get signs up warning trucks and telling them to detour.

On the good side, this will probably cause our mini-drought to come to an end.  We've had almost no rain in July and August in the Indy area.  I'm sure this will cause us to have several all day rains. 

[ShawnP]

Not for the fix.

If truckers refuse to read or pay attention to warnings. Hit them hard in the pocket and their companies.

Up the fines to 10K for the first hit, 100K for the second hit and 1Million for the third per driver, per company.

Very simple to catch em' HD Cameras and a Cop nearby. Those big of fines the Cops will be salivating.

Pretty sure after a company writes the first million dollar check folks will avoid the area.

[tdindy88]

Just came back from Minneapolis and experienced bumper to bumper traffic on 465 from I-70 to I-65 on the south side. Way too much traffic for that stretch of highway. If this doesn't convince INDOT about widening that stretch of highway to 8 lanes nothing will.

[silverback1065]

Not for the fix.

If truckers refuse to read or pay attention to warnings. Hit them hard in the pocket and their companies.

Up the fines to 10K for the first hit, 100K for the second hit and 1Million for the third per driver, per company.

Very simple to catch em' HD Cameras and a Cop nearby. Those big of fines the Cops will be salivating.

Pretty sure after a company writes the first million dollar check folks will avoid the area.

They already fine the companies and truckers still hit the bridges, what does raising the price do?  It won't stop people's incompetence.  I don't know why they won't just go another 3 inches and make it an even 14 feet clearance (I'm sure there is a good reason I just haven't heard it).  Before this became a huge problem the signage warning of low clearance was spotty at best. 

[jeffandnicole]

If the max height for trucks is 13' 6", how come so many of them are overloaded?

If the max height for cats is 14' 9", how come the trucks don't take the cat route?

If the goal height is 14' 9", how come more players just don't kick the ball higher? Unless the goal is protected by a cat?

[Big John]

If they are going to do that, why not go for the desired 16'-0" clearance set for freeways?

[Alps]

If the max height for cats is 14' 9", how come the trucks don't take the cat route?

If the goal height is 14' 9", how come more players just don't kick the ball higher? Unless the goal is protected by a cat?

Meow??

[hbelkins]

Just came back from Minneapolis and experienced bumper to bumper traffic on 465 from I-70 to I-65 on the south side. Way too much traffic for that stretch of highway. If this doesn't convince INDOT about widening that stretch of highway to 8 lanes nothing will.

My wife was driving back from the Twin Cities (using I-39 south to I-74 east) and said she ran into thick traffic Monday late afternoon/early evening on the co-signed segment of 74 and 465.