Bridges & Tunnels Updates

[seicer]

The Sherman Minton Bridge, which carries Interstate 64 and US Route 150 over the Ohio River between Louisville, Kentucky, and New Albany, Indiana, has fully reopened after a multi-year rehabilitation.

Completed in 1962, the double-deck steel through-arch bridge was named for Sherman Minton, a New Albany native and former U.S. Senator and Supreme Court Justice.

In September 2011, inspectors discovered structural steel deficiencies and cracking linked to the original use of T1 steel, known for its susceptibility to cracking. The bridge was closed for several months for repairs before reopening in February 2012. A more extensive rehabilitation from 2021 to 2024 has extended the bridge's lifespan by an estimated 30 years.

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[seicer]

An evening flight in Garfield Park, Indianapolis

It was a calm and pleasant spring evening—an ideal time to fly the drone and capture the beauty of my neighborhood in Garfield Park in south-central Indianapolis.

There was no better place to begin than the front yard. About fifteen years ago, the previous homeowner planted a Weeping Yoshino Flowering Cherry (Prunus pendula). Since then, it has grown into a mature tree, producing delicate pink blossoms each April. Its annual display brings a vivid burst of color to an otherwise typical neighborhood street, marking the arrival of spring.

1 Weeping Yoshino Flowering Cherry (Prunus pendula)



2 Weeping Yoshino Flowering Cherry (Prunus pendula)



3 Weeping Yoshino Flowering Cherry (Prunus pendula)



4 Weeping Yoshino Flowering Cherry (Prunus pendula)



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Ascending a bit higher, I flew the drone toward the edges of Garfield Park—the oldest city park in Indianapolis. Established in the 1870s, it was formally named in honor of President James A. Garfield following his assassination in 1881. Initially intended as a suburban recreational area, the park gradually became a major cultural and horticultural landmark. In the early 20th century, landscape architect George Edward Kessler redesigned the grounds as part of his broader Park and Boulevard Plan for the city, introducing formal gardens, fountains, a conservatory, and other notable features.

In July 2024, a major renovation project began on the park's historic Sunken Garden fountains. Funded in part by a $5.5 million investment from the Lilly Endowment, the project includes restoring the century-old fountains and improving the nearby Pagoda. The Friends of Garfield Park have played a key role, raising substantial funds toward their $1.4 million goal. Construction and testing are expected to continue through September 2025.

This restoration represents a joint effort between city officials and community organizations to preserve and revitalize one of Indianapolis's most treasured public spaces. Today, Garfield Park remains a vital part of the city, celebrated for its historic architecture, art deco features, and commitment to community programming.

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I concluded with a final view of Raymond Street, once intended to serve as an east-west expressway cutting through the heart of the neighborhood.

In 1962, city planners proposed the Raymond Street Expressway to connect Weir Cook Municipal Airport (now Indianapolis International Airport) on the west side to Interstate 74 on the east. The plan called for new interchanges, widened roadways, and newly constructed bridges along the corridor. Despite its scope, the project was never fully realized. Some sections of Raymond Street were improved, but the expressway was never fully completed. Today, the road reflects this incomplete vision—part expressway through the Near Southeast and West Indianapolis neighborhoods, and part urban boulevard through Garfield Park. While it connects to the Sam Jones Expressway on the west side, it ends at Southeastern Avenue on the east, falling short of its planned connection to Interstate 74.

There remains an opportunity to reconsider Raymond Street's role in the urban landscape. Though it carries a substantial volume of traffic, particularly truck traffic, it could evolve into a more unified and community-friendly boulevard rather than a disjointed corridor. With limited funding available for road maintenance on a per-lane-mile basis, the city might benefit from reallocating resources, enhancing the more heavily traveled segments while reimagining underutilized portions for improved public use.

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From blooming cherry trees to century-old gardens and dividing roadways, the evening flight offered a layered view of a neighborhood shaped by both history and hope for revitalization.

[seicer]

A River Crossed: The Washington Street Bridge and the National Road

The Washington Street Bridge in Indianapolis has long served as a key crossing over the White River, tracing its origins to the early days of the National Road—the first federally funded highway in the United States. The first bridge at this location, a two-span covered structure completed in 1833, replaced a ferry service and supported westward expansion through the new state capital. Over the next several decades, the bridge was rebuilt multiple times, evolving from timber to iron to steel. Each iteration reflected advances in engineering, yet each faced its own challenges, including structural failure and catastrophic flooding. The most devastating of these events occurred during the Great Flood of 1913, which destroyed the existing span and called for a more durable solution.

Completed in 1916, the current bridge is a seven-span closed-spandrel concrete arch structure designed with longevity and flood resilience in mind. It carried vehicular and interurban traffic until the 1980s, when plans for White River State Park prompted a rethinking of its role. Public opposition to demolition led to its preservation, and by 1997, it had been fully converted into a pedestrian thoroughfare. Today, the Washington Street Bridge serves as both a functional path and a historical landmark, linking visitors to the city's early infrastructure and its enduring relationship with the White River.

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[seicer]

Deconstructing the Madison Avenue Expressway

By the early 1950s, Indianapolis faced persistent traffic congestion on its south side, particularly along Madison Avenue, which was frequently obstructed by rail traffic. In response, the Indiana State Highway Commission proposed the Madison Avenue Expressway in 1952, aiming to reduce delays by depressing the roadway beneath two major rail lines. Approved shortly thereafter, the project was initially estimated at $3 million but ultimately exceeded $8 million due to design revisions, construction delays, and a major scandal involving profiteering in land acquisitions. The expressway opened in phases between September and October 1958, though it failed to qualify for the federal interstate system due to its at-grade intersections and saw limited relief in traffic congestion.

Despite its high cost, the expressway soon faced operational issues, including reduced travel speeds and parking in travel lanes, which were not banned until 1959. Legal challenges also followed; in 1964, the Indiana Supreme Court upheld a substantial compensation award for property owners who lost highway access. Though plans were approved to extend the expressway southward to Greenwood, the extension was never built.

Today, the City of Indianapolis is moving forward with a $16.2 million reconstruction project on Madison Avenue, part of a broader $47 million initiative to enhance safety and multimodal access. Scheduled to begin in 2025 and conclude by 2026, the project will reduce travel lanes, add pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure—including a new segment of the Interurban Trail—and install updated sidewalks and curbs. Funded through federal grants and guided by the city's "Complete Streets" policy, the effort represents a shift toward more inclusive and sustainable urban transportation.

[seicer]

Tracing the History of U.S. Route 24 from Genoa, Colorado's Wonder Tower

Passing through the open plains of eastern Colorado, we made a brief stop at one of the state's more peculiar roadside relics: the World's Wonder View Tower. From here, you can trace the evolution of American travel—layered like sediment across the landscape. Down below, a railroad cuts a sharp line across the prairie. Nearby are the remains of early highway alignments and, farther still, the steady hum of Interstate 70.

[seicer]

Documenting Two of Frankfort, Kentucky's Vanishing and Enduring Bridges

On a rainy, overcast day in Frankfort, Kentucky, I joined Todd Wilson—an award-winning transportation engineer and Carnegie Mellon University graduate—for a tour of historic bridges and tunnels along the Kentucky River valley. Our route took us through a landscape shaped by over a century of civil engineering, where river crossings once defined the movement of goods, people, and the development of the capital city. Chief among our stops were the Broadway Bridge and the Frankfort Railroad Bridge.

[seicer]

The Canyon Diablo Bridge in Two Guns, Arizona, built in 1915, once carried U.S. Route 66 across the canyon's often dry riverbed. It was bypassed in 1940 but remains a historic landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[seicer]

A Closer Look at Indiana's Interstate 65 Safety and Efficiency Project

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of Interstate 65 in Indianapolis, Indiana, as part of the Safety and Efficiency project. The project corridor spans nearly five miles from just north of the Interstate 465 interchange to just south of the Interstate 65 and Interstate 70 overpass. The primary objectives are alleviating congestion, enhancing traffic flow, and bolstering safety along this critical stretch of highway.

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The project's key components include adding a travel lane in each direction, expanding Interstate 65 to four lanes per direction. This expansion primarily utilizes the existing inside shoulder, with the southern third of the project area widening to the outside. Bridge improvements are also central to the project: the Hanna Avenue bridge is being entirely replaced to accommodate both vehicular and pedestrian traffic, while the northbound bridges over Naomi Street, Pleasant Run Parkway, and Morris/Prospect Street are being widened to support the additional lanes. Other spans are receiving minor updates to their driving surface.

In addition to structural enhancements, the project addresses pedestrian safety through sidewalk upgrades and the installation of ADA-compliant ramps. Pavement rehabilitation or replacement is ongoing throughout the corridor, while concrete pavement replacement is scheduled for the northern segment, from just north of Fletcher Avenue to just south of the Interstate 65 and Interstate 70 overpass. Drainage structures are also being replaced. An abandoned railroad bridge near Fletcher Avenue will also be removed to facilitate smoother traffic flow.

The majority of the work is anticipated to conclude by 2027.

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The gallery below includes photos taken in August and September 2025 of work along Interstate 65.

Work on northbound Interstate 65 includes rehabilitating the bridge over Morris and Prospect Street. A potential redesign of the I-65/I-70 interchange and the Morris/Prospect interchange, studied under the ProPEL Indy project, is not part of this effort.

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Minor upgrades are planned at the Raymond Street interchange, focusing on sidewalk improvements. It is unclear whether needed ramp reconstruction will be included.

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The bridge over Southern Street is receiving light rehabilitation: the deck has been diamond ground and will be resurfaced with 1.5 inches of hot-mix asphalt to extend its service life.

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Additional work includes modifying the Keystone Avenue interchange ramps to improve sidewalk connections and provide longer turn lanes. The bridge over Keystone Avenue, along with some concrete pavement, was reconstructed in 2020-21 and will not be affected, as it was built in anticipation of a lane addition.

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The Hanna Avenue bridge is being fully replaced with a wider structure to allow an additional travel lane between the I-465/I-69 and Keystone Avenue interchanges. The new bridge will include two lanes and a multi-use path.

To date, work has included demolishing the existing bridge, excavating for new abutments, driving piles for the supports, constructing the center pier, and setting half of the new beams. The beam placement occurred on the night of Thursday, September 11.

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INDOT is also replacing smaller corrugated pipe storm drains along the median and cross drains with larger concrete tiles to improve drainage. The existing concrete pavement in this area, now nearly 30 years old, will be reconstructed with new high-performance joint-reinforced concrete pavement. Other areas will receive a milling of the asphalt pavement to the original concrete base, full-depth concrete patching, and a structural three-layer hot-mix asphalt overlay.

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[seicer]

The Nine-Foot "Sidewalk Road": Oklahoma's Last Stretch of Narrow U.S. Route 66
More on U.S. Route 66: https://abandonedonline.net/location/us-route-66/

Near Miami, Oklahoma, a nine-foot stretch of pavement survives as the only remaining section of old U.S. Route 66. Known locally as the "Sidewalk Road," it dates to the early years of federal road building.

The project was approved on December 8, 1918, as Federal Aid Project No. 8. Work was divided into two stages. 1 The first linked Miami and Narcissa, begun in July 1919 and finished in March 1921. The second extended the road to Afton, with grading starting in July 1921 and the surface completed in February 1922. The Western Paving Company built the road with a five-inch concrete base, two inches of Topeka asphalt, and curbs. In all, the completed segment stretched 15.46 miles from Miami to Afton and was designated part of Oklahoma State Highway 7.

Additional work soon followed. The General Construction Company extended the road from Miami to Commerce, 3.6 miles, under Federal Aid Project No. 105A, and further north to the Neosho River Bridge under Project SAP 1. 1

By the mid-1920s, Oklahoma officials sought to link Miami with Oklahoma City via Vinita, Claremore, and Tulsa. Their effort coincided with the creation of the U.S. highway system in 1926. The committee drafting the new system incorporated existing state highways, and Ottawa County's section of State Highway 7 was adopted into the alignment of U.S. Route 66. 1 With the Associated Highways Association of America's approval, the narrow "Sidewalk Road" officially became part of the new national highway.

The roadway remained in use until the 1930s, when improvements were needed. In 1935, construction began on a wider, straighter alignment between Miami and Afton. 1 Opened in 1937, this new road, now U.S. Routes 60 and 59, bypassed the six sharp 90-degree curves of the old pavement.

Today, the short surviving section near Miami is a rare trace of early federal roadbuilding and the formative years of U.S. Route 66.

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[kphoger]

The Nine-Foot "Sidewalk Road": Oklahoma's Last Stretch of Narrow U.S. Route 66
More on U.S. Route 66: https://abandonedonline.net/location/us-route-66/

[...]

Am I missing something?  Where's the bridge, or where's the tunnel?

[seicer]

The Nine-Foot "Sidewalk Road": Oklahoma's Last Stretch of Narrow U.S. Route 66
More on U.S. Route 66: https://abandonedonline.net/location/us-route-66/

[...]

Am I missing something?  Where's the bridge, or where's the tunnel?

Bridges & Tunnels has long focused on non-bridge and tunnel content for years; highways and related infrastructure is related.

[kphoger]

Bridges & Tunnels has long focused on non-bridge and tunnel content for years; highways and related infrastructure is related.

Huh?  "Has long focused"?  You just started the thread nine months ago.

[seicer]

Bridges & Tunnels has long focused on non-bridge and tunnel content for years; highways and related infrastructure is related.

Huh?  "Has long focused"?  You just started the thread nine months ago.

The title of the post reflects the title of my website and I infrequently update this thread despite years of updates. The website has been around for 20 years.

[kphoger]

The title of the post reflects the title of my website and I infrequently update this thread despite years of updates. The website has been around for 20 years.

Oh.  That would have been useful information to include in the OP.  I thought this thread was just a place to share bridges and tunnels updates.

[formulanone]

Great work, by the way!

What kind of drone and camera setup do you use?