Update on I-69 Extension in Indiana

[ITB]

Nice F1 Car.

Surely you meant to say IndyCar.

Not only an Indycar, but I recognize that Olds as an old Indy 500 pace car.

Sure, the white Delta 88 convertible seen there would have to have been used anywhere from 1971 to '75, based on the round headlights (it switched to the squares in '76, which carried over to the downsized '77 and later models). I remember thinking those were the best-looking B-body cars ever made!

Great deduction, and accurate, as one of TV news reports, I believe, mentioned that the convertible was the pace car in the 1974 race.

The I-69 southbound ramps to and from I-465 eastbound and westbound are scheduled to open to traffic this evening (Aug. 6), followed by I-69 northbound ramps to and from I-465 eastbound and westbound on or after Friday, Aug. 9.

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/INDOT/bulletins/3acdf9b

I have my doubts about the Aug 9 date. There is still concrete to be poured for side walls.

None of it was open when I drove through today at 6pm

I took note of the unpaved sidewalls, too, when I drove through Sunday evening. They're giving themselves a little wiggle room on the August 9th date, saying on or after August 9. In all likelihood, it will probably happen before Monday morning, the 12th. Those sidewalls will be knocked out fast with a slipform paver. But they'll need at least a couple of days to cure.

Here's a trio of screen grabs from INDOT traffic cameras:


INDOT Traffic Camera
Setting orange barrels and other prep work to open the I-465W to I-69S ramp and flyover.


INDOT Traffic Camera
Zoomed in view from the Mann Road camera looking toward the long I-69N to I-465W flyover ramp, as well as the beginning of the exit ramp from I-465E to I-69S. The cranes on the left are for beam placement at the White River Bridge work zone.


INDOT Traffic Camera
Monday night the deck pour for the westbound bridge over Harmon Ditch took place.

The contractors are putting the pedal to the metal.

[Interstate 69 Fan]

Southbound I-69 is now open, traffic is rolling SB now

[RoadWarrior56]

Even though I have lived and worked in metro Atlanta for many years, I have been following the I-69 Extension saga, especially here.  Being that I grew up in Evansville, lived in Indianapolis at one time, and even started my engineering career at what is now INDOT, I have lots of Indiana connections, and know as well as anybody how relatively isolated Evansville was from the rest of Indiana.  And I have also made the trip between those two cities many times, using multiple routes.

I am glad I lived to finally see the completion of a direct interstate connection between these two cities.  Now I just have to find an excuse to travel north and go drive the new road.

[Moose]

A few better shots of the pace car.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1037253517760524&set=pcb.1037253554427187

[jnewkirk77]

Not only an Indycar, but I recognize that Olds as an old Indy 500 pace car.

It's a '74 Delta 88, one of 42 Hurst-modified "500 Festival" cars built because the actual pace car - a modified, warmed-up 455 Rocket-powered Hurst/Olds - wasn't an actual convertible, just a coupe with the top removed.  They're really even more striking than the actual pacer.

[Rick Powell]

They've turned off the Epler Avenue camera for now, but when I last looked there was a long line of vehicles stacking up where they were getting off NB I-69, apparently to access IN 37/Harding going north. A temporary situation that will soon be fixed.

[roadman65]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9BhDiKf5HmW8KDp17
Has this sign assembly along with others at the east I-70/465 exchange been changed out to include I-69 yet?


https://maps.app.goo.gl/KvmRvPjLH3PNC3xQA
How about this one also on I-74 WB at I-465?

[ITB]

More INDOT camera screenshots:


INDOT Traffic Camera
Temporary exit point from I-465W to the I-69S flyover ramp.


INDOT Traffic Camera
Taking it slow and easy.


INDOT Traffic Camera
View looking east toward the I-465W to I-69S flyover ramp.


INDOT Traffic Camera
Epler Avenue/SR 37 camera is back. Barricades are in place blocking access to SR 37 southbound south of Epler. For drivers who, as a matter of habit, have taken either the eastbound or westbound I-465 exit ramps to Harding Street, intending to go south on I-69, they can turn right here and then take the southbound entrance ramp from Epler to get on I-69 southbound.


INDOT Traffic Camera
Looking north from near the I-69/Southport Road interchange.

[ITB]

Some more screen grabs:


INDOT Traffic Camera
Congestion at the SR 37/Epler Avenue intersection due to drivers following their old patterns, exiting to Harding Street from I-465. It's going to take a couple of days to adjust to the new interchange exits. To reinforce the fact that southbound 37 is closed, they positioned that dump truck there.


INDOT Traffic Camera
North of the I-69/Southport Road interchange, the temporary concrete barrier wall was put in place last night for the impending northbound traffic shift to southbound pavement. This is necessary to rework the northbound pavement where I-69 veers off from SR 37.


INDOT Traffic Camera
With some beams in place the westbound I-465 bridge over the White River is beginning to take shape.

[tdindy88]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9BhDiKf5HmW8KDp17
Has this sign assembly along with others at the east I-70/465 exchange been changed out to include I-69 yet?


https://maps.app.goo.gl/KvmRvPjLH3PNC3xQA
How about this one also on I-74 WB at I-465?

There are plans to change those signs, including adding the control cities of Fort Wayne and Evansville for northbound I-69 and southbound I-69 respectively. But I imagine it may be some time before the signs are changed, maybe even a long time. I hope not but they already have I-69 shields over a bunch of the current I-465 signage at various interchanges as a temporary measure. My guess is that this will be around for a while.

Speaking of signage, they've already "changed" the exit tab on those orange signs for I-69 off of I-465. They pasted a 5 over the 4B on the exit tab. And since these are temporary signs I suppose you don't have to be graceful about it. So I-69 is indeed Exit 5.

[ibthebigd]

I'm curious how long it will take Google Maps to update the alignment

SM-G996U

[cjw2001]

I'm curious how long it will take Google Maps to update the alignment

SM-G996U

The new roads already exist in maps but are in "future" status so they are invisible on the map currently.  I've submitted changes to ask the appropriate segments to be marked completed and the old segment of 37 to be marked closed but I have little faith in Google's ability to react.   Meanwhile a bunch of clueless editors have submitted multiple duplicates of the new path for approval.   

[silverback1065]

I believe the 465 signage will be updated next year.

[KelleyCook]

I'm curious how long it will take Google Maps to update the alignment

I got most of OpenStreetMaps done that afternoon ... followed by updating the red line on Wikipedia map.

[IndyAgent]

its truly amazing that this project is concluding. I have heard talk about building this for over 45 years of my life since I was a teenager. We have family in Evansville so this is monumental.

[Rick Powell]

its truly amazing that this project is concluding. I have heard talk about building this for over 45 years of my life since I was a teenager. We have family in Evansville so this is monumental.

Three cheers for AAroads forum member ITB, whoever you are! Thanks to the efforts of ITB, we had a regular photo-documentary of construction from south to north for over 10 years running. Since I-69 is being built in bits and pieces elsewhere, we likely won't have as good a continuous US road-building story as this one in a while, if ever.

[cjw2001]

I'm curious how long it will take Google Maps to update the alignment

SM-G996U

The new roads already exist in maps but are in "future" status so they are invisible on the map currently.  I've submitted changes to ask the appropriate segments to be marked completed and the old segment of 37 to be marked closed but I have little faith in Google's ability to react.   Meanwhile a bunch of clueless editors have submitted multiple duplicates of the new path for approval.   

My updates were accepted and southbound is visible on Google Maps now.

[I-55]

I'm curious how long it will take Google Maps to update the alignment

SM-G996U

The new roads already exist in maps but are in "future" status so they are invisible on the map currently.  I've submitted changes to ask the appropriate segments to be marked completed and the old segment of 37 to be marked closed but I have little faith in Google's ability to react.   Meanwhile a bunch of clueless editors have submitted multiple duplicates of the new path for approval.   

My updates were accepted and southbound is visible on Google Maps now.

Now they need to fix the ramp to come from I-465 W instead of the ramp from Harding St.

[cjw2001]

I'm curious how long it will take Google Maps to update the alignment

SM-G996U

The new roads already exist in maps but are in "future" status so they are invisible on the map currently.  I've submitted changes to ask the appropriate segments to be marked completed and the old segment of 37 to be marked closed but I have little faith in Google's ability to react.  Meanwhile a bunch of clueless editors have submitted multiple duplicates of the new path for approval. 

My updates were accepted and southbound is visible on Google Maps now.

Now they need to fix the ramp to come from I-465 W instead of the ramp from Harding St.

Unfortunately since so many clueless people have tried to add additional lines the edit interface is barely usable in that area.  After waiting about 10 minutes for it to deal with the many edits, the edit interface already shows the ramp as attached to the mainline 465.  Might just take a while for the rendered map to catch up.

edit: and 2 hours later it now looks like what was in the edits interface

[ITB]

its truly amazing that this project is concluding. I have heard talk about building this for over 45 years of my life since I was a teenager. We have family in Evansville so this is monumental.

Three cheers for AAroads forum member ITB, whoever you are! Thanks to the efforts of ITB, we had a regular photo-documentary of construction from south to north for over 10 years running. Since I-69 is being built in bits and pieces elsewhere, we likely won't have as good a continuous US road-building story as this one in a while, if ever.

Thanks for the kind words RP. I'm glad to have contributed to the forum. If I had known five years ago that I'd still be out snapping photos in 2024, I'd probably invested in a go GoPro camera and maybe a drone. The years have slipped away so fast. A couple years ago, I gave serious consideration to getting a drone. Yet it was apparent the project was so swiftly moving toward its conclusion. 

As a forum member, I've really developed a deeper understanding of roads and their importance in knitting together our society. Some of you are deeply knowledgeable. And, over the years, I've ingested facts, opinions, and whatnot, that have broadened my thoughts and outlook. My thanks to everyone.

At this time, I'm not planning to go anywhere. With I-69 wrapping up, my contributions to the forum will undoubtedly lessen. But I'll probably stay engaged to some extent as my interest in roads and certain projects, in Indiana and elsewhere, has not abated. And there's no better place to stay abreast of all things roads than the forum. As the ORX projects unfolds, I may head down there to take a picture or two, too. We'll see.

I'm not exactly a spring chicken now, or to put it another way, the end is a lot closer than it used to be. There's no long glide path in front of me. It is what it is. My health seems to be holding, though. Indiana, more than likely, will remain my home base. The tax situation is good, I was born here, went to school here. We'll just have to see how things unfold.

[Moose]

I live north of Indy, but had a work assignment in Arkansas for 8 weeks. One week I drove, and I flew the other seven weeks.

With that background, the one week I drove, I took the long way to see the progress on highway. I started at US 231 near Crane where earth was being moved, but construction was only in preliminary stages. As I went south, a thunderstorm hit, but work at the SR 58 and US 50 interchanges was a bit further along. Other locations I saw were limited to tree removal, but at least it was under construction.

A couple of weeks ago I flew from Indy to Memphis on the way and from DFW to Indy on the way back so I saw the aerial view both from the east and west. That is where it is cool. You can see the 65+ miles of I-69 from north of Evansville clearly under construction, but it appeared to me that the constant thunderstorms this year may be taking its toll on the schedule. The only area where I saw no evidence of construction from the air was the approximately 4 mile section just east of Petersburg, but that contract was just awarded in early May.

I saw some overpasses, but the planes were still to high to see good details. The only paved area I could clearly see was the section just north of where I-69 terminates at SR 68. All in all, it was just pretty cool to see that so much of this much needed highway is actually being built.

The start of an epic 13 year long thread.

It has indeed been a long road. Much of what is left to do is on I-465. There are a few things left on the 69 side, but that stuff should be wrapping up quick.

Also I don't think it was noted...

Speed limit signs will increase to 55 mph on I-69 northbound and southbound between Smith Valley Road and SR 144 on or after Tuesday, August 6.

Unlisted video posted on the I-69 finish line webpage. I don't know why they didn't list it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3wnP93R2L4

[Moose]

And more..

[Rick Powell]

I'm not exactly a spring chicken now, or to put it another way, the end is a lot closer than it used to be. There's no long glide path in front of me. It is what it is. My health seems to be holding, though. Indiana, more than likely, will remain my home base. The tax situation is good, I was born here, went to school here. We'll just have to see how things unfold.

I, too, am not a spring chicken. I showed up for work one spring as a 17-year old technician trainee back on the original construction of I-55 in Illinois, and they threw me on the job with little to no instruction and expected me to pick whatever I needed to know from the more experienced crew. Wish we'd have had smart phones back then; all I have is memories of people, places, and things that happened. I'm still at it on a different level, and apparently enjoying it enough to not retire yet.

[Sapphuby]

With the amount of coverage this highway has gotten since it started construction north of Evansville, and the traffic cameras provided by the DOT to give even better coverage, I'm certain we will not have something like this in a long, long time, and I'm glad to have been part of it, even if it was just 3 years.

[sprjus4]

Since I-69 is being built in bits and pieces elsewhere, we likely won't have as good a continuous US road-building story as this one in a while, if ever.

It isn't on the magnitude of this project per se, but some of the I-69 construction in Texas has been quite extensive and gone seemingly unnoticed - something to keep watching over the next few years.

10 miles of US-59 southwest of Houston has been upgraded from a four lane divided highway into a six lane interstate highway, and another 10 miles continuing that six lane interstate upgrade continues southwest toward Wharton. Another 30 miles is planned for upgrade over the next several years.

Looking further south is seeing even more progress. Nearly 20 miles of US-77 between Robstown and Bishop has been upgraded to a four lane interstate highway with a bypass of Driscoll in the past few years. 13 miles of further upgrades are underway south of there, and another 48 miles will be underway and complete by the end of the decade, completing I-69E between I-37 and Brownsville.
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It's been an incredible accomplishment with what Indiana has been able to do with I-69, and construction over 100 miles of new location & upgraded roads into interstate highway in such a short time period. It's what this country did all over decades ago and what should be the standard for all these large scale interstate proposals. I look at three key examples - I-69, I-11 (Vegas to Phoenix), and I-73 (South Carolina & VA).