More US 31 upgrades between Indy and South Bend

[silverback1065]

it must be pretty bad to have them close it down completely!

[PurdueBill]

The road opened in 2015 and was already having pavement issues within two years of opening. This example (GSV) shows just how bad the roadway has deteriorated.

I'm not sure if the northbound lanes are that bad, but there were issues when I last drove over it. It might not require the level of intervention that the southbound lanes require.

This pavement was designed to last 50 years without the need for replacement. It's not even lasted 10 without a major rehab.

Looking at the 2015 street view when new and the 2018 street view, it's amazing how bad it got after only 3 years!  Big cracked section right there that fast. 
Reminds me of how after the new SR 25 opened south of Logansport, it only took a couple years for the pavement to fail around Clymers.  INDOT said a "non-conforming mix" was to blame for it having to be all repaved after less than 3 years.   

[Great Lakes Roads]

The road opened in 2015 2013 and was already having pavement issues within two years of opening. This example (GSV) shows just how bad the roadway has deteriorated.

I'm not sure if the northbound lanes are that bad, but there were issues when I last drove over it. It might not require the level of intervention that the southbound lanes require.

This pavement was designed to last 50 years without the need for replacement. It's not even lasted 10 without a major rehab.

The bypass around Kokomo actually opened to traffic in November 2013.

[ysuindy]

I guess for someone from Indy like me going to several Notre Dame football games this year it's better for southbound to be closed when I'm coming back thru around 930 pm than having northbound closed going thru on Saturday morning.

But we have to assume there will be a northbound closure in 2026?

[silverback1065]

The road opened in 2015 and was already having pavement issues within two years of opening. This example (GSV) shows just how bad the roadway has deteriorated.

I'm not sure if the northbound lanes are that bad, but there were issues when I last drove over it. It might not require the level of intervention that the southbound lanes require.

This pavement was designed to last 50 years without the need for replacement. It's not even lasted 10 without a major rehab.

Looking at the 2015 street view when new and the 2018 street view, it's amazing how bad it got after only 3 years!  Big cracked section right there that fast. 
Reminds me of how after the new SR 25 opened south of Logansport, it only took a couple years for the pavement to fail around Clymers.  INDOT said a "non-conforming mix" was to blame for it having to be all repaved after less than 3 years.   

i remember this being a big story when that was announced. if i remember correctly it involved litigation! they checked mixes all around the state that came from the same supplier i think

[mukade]

The road opened in 2015 2013 and was already having pavement issues within two years of opening. This example (GSV) shows just how bad the roadway has deteriorated.

I'm not sure if the northbound lanes are that bad, but there were issues when I last drove over it. It might not require the level of intervention that the southbound lanes require.

This pavement was designed to last 50 years without the need for replacement. It's not even lasted 10 without a major rehab.

The bypass around Kokomo actually opened to traffic in November 2013.

I lived in the Kokomo area when the new bypass was being built and opened. The worst section of the highway suffering from the failing concrete pavement is from the southern junction with SR 931 up to the railroad overpass just south of SR 26. Beyond that, there are smaller spots that have failed.

The unusual thing about the part that has the big problems is that the pavement was laid 1-2 months before the highway opened. To my untrained eye, it seemed rushed. I have to find my construction photographs to look at the precise dates, but the rest of the pavement on all other sections had been in place at least several months before opening. The earliest section completed (Kokomo Creek to just south of SR 22/US 35) was done as part of the 2008 Economic Stimulus plan as it was "shovel ready". I think the condition of that pavement is still pretty good.

The ramps from US 31 to SR 22/US 35 also experienced very noticeable transverse cracking during the first couple of years.

If remember correctly, there were three prime contractors for the various sections. I don't know what the problem that caused the failure was or even which contractor might have taken responsibility, but I think the concrete that failed came from that portable concrete plant they put up at the SR22/US 35 interchange. At least one contractor just used local suppliers like IMI.

Unrelated to the pavement problems, only the Boulevard/CR 100S interchange has lighting. In response to a query I made about the lack of lighting on the US 31 bypass, INDOT said this in early 2024:

...a pre-existing project was planned to install lighting at key interchanges along US 31 in Kokomo, including SR 931 South,  CR 100 S, US 35, and SR 931 North. The construction of this lighting will take place some time in the next year or so.