Update on I-69 Extension in Indiana

[ITB]

Not complaining, just warning.  Like he said, he's been escorted off-site and security called on him before.  But, he obtained a level of understanding with the work crews.  So, I appreciated his last post.

I may not be a lawyer or prosecutor, but I do work in the thick of construction projects with operations and construction engineers.  Trespassing within work zones still does not sound like a great idea to me.  Keep in mind New York State tragically loses a transportation worker to work zone intrusions about once a year.  So, any legal ramifications are only one consideration when deciding to go behind cones, barrels, or even TCB.

It's time we bring this discussion to a conclusion. I've been stomping around I-69 construction sites since June of 2015. That's nine and half years ago. I've taken and uploaded more than 10,000 photos to my Flickr account, which have now been viewed nearly 1.2 million times. At the same time, I've posted dozens of pictures to the forum over the years, to share with those who might be interested.

It's very odd to me, that after all these years, I am cautioned, warned, that I might be some sort of scofflaw, faulted for entering and taking photos in construction zones. As I have mentioned, there were, for most part, no fences or signs prohibiting entry. Of course, when work is occurring, it's improper for a non-worker to enter a work area without permission or an escort. At other times, however, when no work is happening, I'll admit, that, yes, the activity's questionable, but without fences or signs posted, it's less clear.

As for time I was escorted off a work zone, I later returned to the area at least a couple more times without any issues. I had found a path near the work zone that allowed me to view the work area without actually entering the construction zone. One Sunday afternoon when no work was occurring, I did walk the site. At the time, there were some kids on ATVs zooming around. Even later, when paving got underway, I was allowed, tacitly, to come somewhat closer to snap a few pictures.

In regards to the being asked to leave the Sample Road interchange work area, no, nobody called security. At that particular time, security was simply driving back and forth on SR 37, monitoring. They noticed me and pulled over. As I mentioned earlier, even though no equipment was present and all work had been paused, things were a little tense, in that status of Section 5 was in flux. After I was asked to leave, security then approached another man, also on site, who was strolling around with his dog.

As the I-69/I-465 interchange project unfolded, I was, at first, reluctant to get into the work zone. By then, however, I'd been to virtually every work area from Greene County to Indianapolis. In time, however, I found a good spot to enter the interchange construction zone. Again, I would enter only if no work was occurring. There were a couple of times when I was expecting a dead site, but discovered otherwise. On the occasions when I was able to enter, it was just so easy. Again, there were no signs or fences; it was just a short walk, and down and over a little drainage gully. Did I have a few reservations about hiking up to the south abutment of the I-69N to I-465W flyover? Yes. But, by then, I'd been on 20 or 30 other abutments, so, in some ways, it was just one more.

To a degree, the issues brought up in this discussion have led me to reassess. Even though seemingly well intentioned, the points raised have come across, to me, a little heavy-handed, and, I regrettably note, a little condescending. All the more so, as I've mentioned earlier, my days of I-69 construction picture taking are all but over. It's in the past. Yes, I may drive down to Evansville for a look-see at some point. But that's not set. Besides I might have other matters to attend to by then. Be assured, however, the points raised have been taken to heart.

Here's few pictures from the early days:


August 13, 2015
In southwest Monroe County, setting the beams for the mainline bridges over Rockport Road; looking north. To my surprise, the road was kept open during the beam setting process. Traffic, of course, was stopped when a beam was installed. For the photo, I simply got out of my vehicle and snapped off a couple.


August 13, 2015
The view from other direction, after I had proceeded past the beam setting. I parked off a bit, then walked back. Nobody had any issues with me hanging around, taking pictures.


August 13, 2015
Cropped, slightly zoomed perspective.


July 25, 2015
Mainline earthwork northwest of the present I-69/SR-445 interchange in Greene County; looking northeast. Hmm, even though I was up on a mound, away from where the work was ongoing, I probably shouldn't have been where I was. Be that as it may, it was a safe area, located just behind the contractor's field office. Later, during another visit, I stopped by and was able to chat with a couple of higher-ups. They were, I realized later, uber pros, who put pedal to metal, and got that road segment built in very short order.


August 21, 2015
In southwest Monroe County, the construction site near Carter Road. Yup, fairly close to the action. There was, however, a wall/embankment that separated the construction access road from where I was. This is the site where I was earlier escorted off of. The path I had discovered, mentioned above, was off to the left, just outside a private fence line.

Edit: I should clarify that I was actually standing on Carter Road when I snapped the picture. To the left, out of the frame, was a driveway to a private residence. Access to that driveway had to be maintained via Carter Road. Up a bit, Carter Road had been truncated, but there was the narrow path, mentioned earlier, leading directly toward the work zone's eastern embankment. The temporary construction access road (pictured) was built just to the north of Carter Road. This is viewable on Google maps, satellite view, as is the little mountain—just a big mound, really—that was built up from the material removed to construct I-69. Just search W Carter Road, Bloomington, Indiana.


August 21, 2015
Prime contractor E&B Paving at work on the mainline near Carter Road; looking east. Amazing job they did here, going from this to pavement in less than three months. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it.


October 12, 2015
And here's the paving underway near Carter Road, just up from the I-69/SR 445 interchange, which was still under construction.


August 21, 2015
Well, well, there was indeed a No Trespassing sign posted, this one near the Carter Road work zone. It was probably more for contractor's field office, located in an old farmhouse, than for the site in general.

Thanks to all of you who have valued and enjoyed my comments and photos. I very much appreciate your kind words and thoughts.



 

[seicer]

Your photos and commentary have been significantly better than anything INDOT has provided. One of my main concerns with official communications is that they are often vague, overly optimistic, and lack detail. Specifically, INDOT struggles with clear communication. Offering more detailed photos, aerial views, and contextual information helps the public better understand how their taxpayer dollars are spent, why construction projects are necessary, and supports a case for a more transparent Department of Transportation.

[I-55]

Your photos and commentary have been significantly better than anything INDOT has provided. One of my main concerns with official communications is that they are often vague, overly optimistic, and lack detail. Specifically, INDOT struggles with clear communication. Offering more detailed photos, aerial views, and contextual information helps the public better understand how their taxpayer dollars are spent, why construction projects are necessary, and supports a case for a more transparent Department of Transportation.

This is a noticeable difference when comparing the I-69 Finish Line and I-465 Clear Path projects. We had seemingly weekly photo updates from ITB that illustrated the entire timeline of the project to the point where we could predict future progress and openings. The latter project occasionally releases a new traffic pattern graphic every 3-6 months that doesn't tell the whole story of what's going on. I hate how in order to see progress on the bridges at Exit 37 I have to wait weeks for certain traffic cameras to look somewhere other than their default direction. I could've learned how to build a bridge by making a step by step guide from ITB's photos.

[seicer]

I moved to Indianapolis earlier this year and have found INDOT's public relations strategy perplexing, among other concerns. Some projects go weeks without updates despite visible construction progress, while significant lane closures at peak times are often announced only hours in advance.

For example, I encountered a near-total closure of Interstate 465 on the east side when INDOT reduced traffic to a single lane just after rush hour for striping and patching. While this may have improved worker safety, spending over an hour traveling from Interstate 70 to Interstate 69 was frustrating. Similarly, during one of the busiest shopping periods, INDOT closed all but one lane of Interstate 465 for the Clear Path project to move barriers—during rush hour and near a major shopping district. Why this couldn't be done overnight or expedited is unclear, but this is also a DOT that closes entire roadways for a week+ for simple repaving projects.

Another puzzling practice is INDOT's preference for total sign structure replacements on the Interstate 69 project. Many overhead sign structures are being replaced simply to accommodate slightly larger signs with updated Interstate 69 shields, even though some of these structures are only a few years old.

[I-55]

I moved to Indianapolis earlier this year and have found INDOT's public relations strategy perplexing, among other concerns. Some projects go weeks without updates despite visible construction progress, while significant lane closures at peak times are often announced only hours in advance.

For example, I encountered a near-total closure of Interstate 465 on the east side when INDOT reduced traffic to a single lane just after rush hour for striping and patching. While this may have improved worker safety, spending over an hour traveling from Interstate 70 to Interstate 69 was frustrating. Similarly, during one of the busiest shopping periods, INDOT closed all but one lane of Interstate 465 for the Clear Path project to move barriers—during rush hour and near a major shopping district. Why this couldn't be done overnight or expedited is unclear, but this is also a DOT that closes entire roadways for a week+ for simple repaving projects.

Another puzzling practice is INDOT's preference for total sign structure replacements on the Interstate 69 project. Many overhead sign structures are being replaced simply to accommodate slightly larger signs with updated Interstate 69 shields, even though some of these structures are only a few years old.

As someone from Indiana I'll tell you that I-465 being down to one lane is a regular weekend occurrence that will never go away. Eventually you'll become accustomed to it.

As for the sign replacements, I believe the signs that were replaced were because the roadway widening would've encroached on the outside supports. On average, I-465 was widened 24' on both sides in Clear Path and Finish Line.

[Great Lakes Roads]

From INDOT, a video of I-69 from inception to completion

[seicer]

As for the sign replacements, I believe the signs that were replaced were because the roadway widening would've encroached on the outside supports. On average, I-465 was widened 24' on both sides in Clear Path and Finish Line.

The ones I was questioning were the ones on the south side, such as this 2015 sign structure. The new sign structure is being installed immediately behind it. Or this on a ramp that dates to the same time period. You can see the footers being installed behind the existing signs.

As someone from Indiana I'll tell you that I-465 being down to one lane is a regular weekend occurrence that will never go away. Eventually you'll become accustomed to it.

This seems to be an INDOT thing, but I'm glad to see the improvements at the end of the day.

[ITB]

To salute the finishing of Section 6 and the completion of the I-69 Corridor Project, here's a few photos from when I initially started taking photos, a little more than nine years ago.


August 23, 2015
Near the Monroe/Greene county border, looking north from near the W. Carter Road work zone. It was a photo like this one that got me booted from the work area. To take the photo, I had to cross the temporary construction access road (pictured in a previous post), which was active. And, of course, I had to recross it coming back. Really, just a stupid move on my part. I didn't get busted right then. But the next time I stopped by the site I was almost immediately approached and escorted away, even though I stayed away from the construction access road. By then, however, I had discovered the path, which I pointed out. After that, on future visits, as I kept to the embankment, things seemed to be OK, though they kept an eye on me. 


July 25, 2015
In Greene County, mainline bridges over Dry Creek and Dry Creek Road.


August 22, 2015
I-69/SR 445 interchange work zone


August 21, 2015
Looking north from the Hobbieville Road overpass in Greene County.


September 4, 2015
In Monroe County, looking west from the Harmony Road bridge.


September 13, 2015
Mainline bridges over Carmichael Road and Indian Creek in southwest Monroe County; looking south.


September 18, 2015
Looking east from the Harmony Road bridge in Monroe County.


September 20, 2015
Massive mainline bridge near Koleen in Greene County. This was, and continues to be, a very sparsely populated area. Eerily quiet.


September 20, 2015
Mainline bridges over E. Mineral-Koleen Road in Greene County; looking east.


September 27, 2015
Looking south toward the SR 445 interchange in Greene County.


October 10, 2015
Paving just south of the Hobbieville Road overpass in Greene County; looking north.


October 12, 2015
Looking north from near W. Carter Road in southwest Monroe County, as a crew preps the northbound lanes for paving.


October 12, 2015
Near the Monroe/Greene county border, looking south toward the future I-69/SR 445 interchange, as paving is underway on the northbound lanes.


October 14, 2015
At a staging area in the median of SR 37, prestressed concrete beams mounted on specialized vehicles await placement for the Kinser Pike overpass in Monroe County.
 

[seicer]

If you ever want to get into aerial photography, I'd be glad to show you the ropes! Wonderful photography and commentary as always.

[Rick Powell]

Every example I can think of where an interchange with ghost ramps had the missing freeway built, the interchange in question was partially or entirely redesigned anyway.

Counterexample: I-84/CT 9.

How long between initial construction and completion?

Another, the I-55/I-155 interchange in Lincoln IL. It was probably 10 years from constructing the ramps that stood empty with no I-155 to connect to, to opening them to traffic.

[mrsman]

I'd like to thank ITB for the wonderful pictures.  I'm not generally too familiar with Indiana, but I would regularly scroll through the thread and be impressed with the progress that he has captured.

In a similar vein as to what was stated earlier, it is too bad that the press or PR staff of DOT don't do as good of a job of telling the story (or conversely that people with a passion aren't given more press-like access).  A Road Guy Rob type has a decent chance, since his Youtube is relatively well known and he is given occasional access to such things, but he lives in California.

I may suggest that with the wealth of data that you have, you may want to create an e-book that documents the history and the progress of the project. 

[Sapphuby]

. . . I may suggest that with the wealth of data that you have, you may want to create an e-book that documents the history and the progress of the project. 

I would read it all. I love reading the history over roads, and I love following the progress in real time of roads built in my lifetime, so this would be a big dig for me. Go for it!

[edwaleni]

Every example I can think of where an interchange with ghost ramps had the missing freeway built, the interchange in question was partially or entirely redesigned anyway.

Counterexample: I-84/CT 9.

How long between initial construction and completion?

Another, the I-55/I-155 interchange in Lincoln IL. It was probably 10 years from constructing the ramps that stood empty with no I-155 to connect to, to opening them to traffic.

And the Illinois State Police loved it. They hid in the grass on the southbound side underneath the crossing ramps. Cant tell you how many drivers they nabbed over the years,

[silverback1065]

To whoever posted upthread about SR 37 being a secret unsigned highway now is correct. there is a new sign on 69 just before the new 465 exit saying SR 37 TRAFFIC FOLLOW I-69 NORTH. Also I can confirm SR 37 is no longer signed at all on 69 from the 37 split in Bloomington all the way to the 69 exit with 465. 37 should disappear from 465/69 NE Side to the 37 split in fishers when clear path is complete. All BGS in Bloomington have been updated to remove 37 completely.

[ilpt4u]

To whoever posted upthread about SR 37 being a secret unsigned highway now is correct. there is a new sign on 69 just before the new 465 exit saying SR 37 TRAFFIC FOLLOW I-69 NORTH. Also I can confirm SR 37 is no longer signed at all on 69 from the 37 split in Bloomington all the way to the 69 exit with 465. 37 should disappear from 465/69 NE Side to the 37 split in fishers when clear path is complete. All BGS in Bloomington have been updated to remove 37 completely.

Hopefully 37 is still signed where it breaks off (restarts?) south of Bloomington to head towards Bedford while 69 heads over to Crane and then Washington

[mrsman]

Hmm, it seems like SR-37 is now three separate segments.

On the one hand, it would seem like a good idea to maintain the same number.

But now they are three separate segments that only have a historic connection.  Is it simpler in the long run to renumber two of these segments?

[I-55]

Hmm, it seems like SR-37 is now three separate segments.

On the one hand, it would seem like a good idea to maintain the same number.

But now they are three separate segments that only have a historic connection.  Is it simpler in the long run to renumber two of these segments?

The Allen County segment would make the most sense to renumber, as it is only 14 miles and only connects to 2 other INDOT maintained routes. The other two segments should probably stay as is.

[jnewkirk77]

To whoever posted upthread about SR 37 being a secret unsigned highway now is correct. there is a new sign on 69 just before the new 465 exit saying SR 37 TRAFFIC FOLLOW I-69 NORTH. Also I can confirm SR 37 is no longer signed at all on 69 from the 37 split in Bloomington all the way to the 69 exit with 465. 37 should disappear from 465/69 NE Side to the 37 split in fishers when clear path is complete. All BGS in Bloomington have been updated to remove 37 completely.

Hopefully 37 is still signed where it breaks off (restarts?) south of Bloomington to head towards Bedford while 69 heads over to Crane and then Washington

It's still a signed highway south of I-69. I don't think that was ever going to change.

[jnewkirk77]

Hmm, it seems like SR-37 is now three separate segments.

On the one hand, it would seem like a good idea to maintain the same number.

But now they are three separate segments that only have a historic connection.  Is it simpler in the long run to renumber two of these segments?

Think of all the residents, business and so on who'd need to change their addresses and the snowball effect from that. Probably best to just leave things as they are.

[silverback1065]

To whoever posted upthread about SR 37 being a secret unsigned highway now is correct. there is a new sign on 69 just before the new 465 exit saying SR 37 TRAFFIC FOLLOW I-69 NORTH. Also I can confirm SR 37 is no longer signed at all on 69 from the 37 split in Bloomington all the way to the 69 exit with 465. 37 should disappear from 465/69 NE Side to the 37 split in fishers when clear path is complete. All BGS in Bloomington have been updated to remove 37 completely.

Hopefully 37 is still signed where it breaks off (restarts?) south of Bloomington to head towards Bedford while 69 heads over to Crane and then Washington

It's still a signed highway south of I-69. I don't think that was ever going to change.

correct that is the only remaining section of 37 that is a major highway. with the exception of the portion from 69 to 206th street in Hamilton county.

[silverback1065]

Hmm, it seems like SR-37 is now three separate segments.

On the one hand, it would seem like a good idea to maintain the same number.

But now they are three separate segments that only have a historic connection.  Is it simpler in the long run to renumber two of these segments?

Think of all the residents, business and so on who'd need to change their addresses and the snowball effect from that. Probably best to just leave things as they are.

this is exactly why SR 46 still exists from I-70 to US 40 when they rerouted 40, it is redundant but it still exists for address purposes.

[ITB]

Here's a trio of schematics for the forthcoming I-69 interchange in Evansville, which will take I-69 to and from the planned Ohio River Crossing. Following the diagrams are some aerial construction photos.

Please note: I have received permission from the ORX office to upload and post both the schematics and photos.


Credit: I-69 Ohio River Crossing
Perspective looking north. The location of the interchange is about a quarter mile east of S. Weinbach Ave., which runs underneath I-69. A small section of S. Weinbach is visible, top left.


Credit: I-69 Ohio River Crossing
Perspective looking east.


Credit: I-69 Ohio River Crossing
Lower perspective view, looking north. Yes, surprisingly, the mainline and ramps will be built directly over the pond. You would think the pond would be drained and that would be it, but, of course, there are environmental considerations to be taken into account, like wetlands. Be that as it may, the pond's probably not that deep and might be temporarily drained anyway to facilitate construction. If not, cofferdams will be utilized.
.

Credit: I-69 Ohio River Crossing                                                                                                  Photo date: August 1, 2024
View looking east, with S. Weinbach Ave. in the foreground. The pond, mentioned above, is the closer of the two.


Credit: I-69 Ohio River Crossing                                                                                                  Photo date: November 7, 2024
More recent view; looking southwest.


Credit: I-69 Ohio River Crossing                                                                                                  Photo date: November 7, 2024
Longer range perspective; looking north.


Credit: I-69 Ohio River Crossing                                                                                                   Photo date: November 20, 2024
Closer look; again looking north.


Credit: I-69 Ohio River Crossing                                                                                                    Photo date: October 23, 2024
Long range view; looking south, with the Ohio River in the background.


Credit: I-69 Ohio River Crossing                                                                                                    Photo date: November 7, 2024
Another perspective looking south, with a staging area in the lower right.


Credit: I-69 Ohio River Crossing                                                                                                     Photo date: October 23, 2024
Long range view, looking north, with the fall harvest underway.


Credit: I-69 Ohio River Crossing                                                                                                       Photo date: November 20, 2024
View looking east.


Credit: I-69 Ohio River Crossing                                                                                                        Photo date: October 17, 2024
On site, a crane with attached pile driving rigging.

The website for the I-69 Ohio River Crossing project can be accessed here.

[Sapphuby]

Going slightly off-topic, but based on Copernicus browser data, it looks like I-69 is close to completion all the way north to US 60 in Henderson, KY. It looks like the interchange will be a dogbone.

[jnewkirk77]

Going slightly off-topic, but based on Copernicus browser data, it looks like I-69 is close to completion all the way north to US 60 in Henderson, KY. It looks like the interchange will be a dogbone.

That part is scheduled to be done and open by the end of '25, according to the ORX folks.  It'll be similar to the KY 351 interchange that was recently completed.

[jnewkirk77]

ITB - you always get the good stuff! Thanks for the pics and schematics. Much appreciated.

The pond south of the existing roadway is a borrow pit from when I-164 was constructed back in the '80s. I don't think it's terribly deep, maybe 5 to 10 feet, so it does make more sense to just go over it.