Update on I-69 Extension in Indiana

[edwaleni]

I see in that last picture you got a good shot of a truckers toll booth. This one was in yellow.

Very convenient for quick deposits.   

[2trailertrucker]

I see in that last picture you got a good shot of a truckers toll booth. This one was in yellow.

Very convenient for quick deposits.   

They need a few of those on I-69! 😂 That is the reason I don't run it, due to the lack of places to pull off and take a break.

[thefro]

Any guesses when section 5 will be done?

Weather permitting, I think its reasonable to believe they'll be done with major construction by the end of September.

Agreed, then I expect I-69 signage to be uncovered sometime in October.

[SSR_317]

Please don't quote posts with a bunch of pictures in them.

My apologies, meant to edit out all the photos but got distracted.

[hoosierguy]

IU worked with INDOT and the Governor's office to ensure four lanes of traffic are open on 37/69 on days when IU has a home football or basketball game.

[Interstate 69 Fan]

Here's a few more pictures. I didn't plan head out for a photo shoot, but after spending some time in downtown Bloomington I still had an hour or so to spare, so I decided to go for another look see.

Very considerable progress is evident in and around in Liberty Church Road interchange in Morgan County and on down to Bryant Creek near the Monroe/Morgan county line. This stretch looks to be all paved up, with only striping work to be completed. With the mainline roadways essentially finished in Bloomington and on up to the the bridges crossing Griffy Creek, it appears crews are now in the process of laying down the final layer of asphalt between between Bryant Creek and Griffy, a distance of roughly 8 miles. Depending on the weather, it will probably take another couple of weeks, perhaps three, but substantial completion of Section 5 is close at hand.

The following photos were taken Saturday, August 25, 2018, unless otherwise noted.


Looking south toward State Road 37 (soon-to-be Interstate 69) from near the former intersection of SR 37 and Paragon Road in Morgan County, Indiana.


Closer look, again looking south from near the former intersection of SR 37/Paragon Road.


Looking south, from near the southern terminus of Turkey Track Road in Morgan County, toward the mainline roadways as they split to pass through the Big Hill in northern Monroe County. Almost all along the Section 5, fencing, with a single strand barb wire top, is now in place.


Closer look with the telephoto lens of the point where the mainline roadways split, just past the bridges crossing Bryant Creek; looking south.


Long range view looking south from near the former SR 37/Paragon Road crossing.

Edit: Minor grammar correction.

Looks very close to completion, thank you ITB!

[ITB]

Looks very close to completion, thank you ITB!

Indeed, it is very close to being done. And, thank you for the shout out. Glad to know you and others have enjoyed the photos!

Here's a few more of the paving now underway between the Griffy Creek bridges and the bridges that cross over Bryant Creek in northern Monroe County. Covering a distance of approximately eight miles, crews are now applying the final layer of asphalt along this stretch of roadway. It looks to be about 50-60% completed, and only a few more days should be needed to finish the job, weather permitting. Photos were taken Thursday, August 30, 2018, unless otherwise noted.


Looking south toward Indiana State Road 37 (soon-to-be Interstate 69) and the SR 37/College Ave-Walnut Street partial interchange in Monroe County, Indiana. In the background is the Kinser Pike overpass.


Looking north toward the mainline roadways about a mile and a quarter south of the Sample Road interchange. The southbound lanes are left, while the new eastern frontage, or local access, road is far right. Crew members have applied a fresh tack coat on the southbound right lane and shoulder area in preparation to paving, expected to be underway today, Friday, August 31.


Closer look of the paving underway near the SR 37/College Ave-Walnut Street partial interchange; looking south. Beyond the bridges crossing Griffy Creek (visible in the background underneath College Ave/Walnut Street sign), the construction barrels have been pulled right, allowing three traffic lanes.


Another paving crew at work just north of the mainline bridges crossing Bryant Creek in northern Monroe County; looking south. After the team reaches the Bryant Creek bridge, completing the paving of the right shoulder and a section of the right lane, it appears they'll swing around and do likewise for southbound lanes. With the exception of the left lane and shoulder between Griffy Creek and Bryant Creek, a distance of about eight miles, the northbound roadway of Section 5 has received its final, top layer of asphalt.


Slightly closer look at the paving underway on the northbound roadway near the Bryant Creek bridges; looking south.


Long range view looking north toward the Liberty Church Road interchange in Morgan County, Indiana. The new western frontage road, presumably signed Legendary Road along this segment (there are no signs up yet), is on the left.


The Turkey Track Road access point to State Road 37 about a mile and half south of the Liberty Church Road interchange; looking northeast. This is the only remaining non-interchange access point to/from SR 37 in Section 5. It will be closed permanently next week.


And one last one. A long range view looking south toward the SR 37/College Ave-Walnut Street partial interchange.

Edit: modified a caption for clarity

[thefro]

https://www.953mnc.com/2018/09/05/holcomb-announces-1billion-infrastructure-spending-plan/

Indiana is getting $1 billion from the Indiana Toll Road (in exchange for increasing the tolls on heavy trucks 35%) and $600 million is going to complete I-69 Section 6 by 2024.

o   Accelerate completion of I-69 Section 6 from 2027 to 2024 ($600 million)

[abqtraveler]

https://www.953mnc.com/2018/09/05/holcomb-announces-1billion-infrastructure-spending-plan/

Indiana is getting $1 billion from the Indiana Toll Road (in exchange for increasing the tolls on heavy trucks 35%) and $600 million is going to complete I-69 Section 6 by 2024.

o   Accelerate completion of I-69 Section 6 from 2027 to 2024 ($600 million)

Getting I-69 finished to Indy faster, and Kentucky moving at full speed to finish their section to thw Tennessee line will indeed put pressure on Indiana and Kentucky to get the bridge over the Ohio River built sooner rather than later, before the US-41 bridges become a major chokepoint with miles-long traffic jams when both stretches of I-69 are finished.

[sparker]

https://www.953mnc.com/2018/09/05/holcomb-announces-1billion-infrastructure-spending-plan/

Indiana is getting $1 billion from the Indiana Toll Road (in exchange for increasing the tolls on heavy trucks 35%) and $600 million is going to complete I-69 Section 6 by 2024.

o   Accelerate completion of I-69 Section 6 from 2027 to 2024 ($600 million)

Getting I-69 finished to Indy faster, and Kentucky moving at full speed to finish their section to thw Tennessee line will indeed put pressure on Indiana and Kentucky to get the bridge over the Ohio River built sooner rather than later, before the US-41 bridges become a major chokepoint with miles-long traffic jams when both stretches of I-69 are finished.

The one problem with the Purchase Parkway segment of I-69 is that even if it is completed/upgraded all the way to the TN state line, TN has been building their section directly south of there at what could be generously described as a "leisurely" pace south to I-155 at Dyersburg.  And the last stretch into Memphis metro is the poster child for the "kick the can down the road" phenomenon!  Even when the KY-155 stretch is finished (which technically means a through if circuitous Interstate corridor to Memphis), it's not likely that substantial amounts of traffic from Indy to Memphis and vice-versa will overwhelm the I-69 corridor for the time being; it'll likely take full completion -- including both the Ohio River bridge and the Memphis-Dyersburg segment -- to draw significant traffic away from the existing corridors (70/57/55 or 65/40).  No doubt there will be some increase in cross-river traffic attributable to I-69 on both sides of the river -- but until the "missing links" from Indy to Memphis are addressed, the US 41 Ohio River crossing probably won't be much more of a persistent bottleneck than it is today.

[hoosierguy]

Building Section 6 in four years will take some major construction work. It will make Section 5 look like paving potholes. Interested to see how all of that plays out.

[tdindy88]

Personally I always believed that the two year time frame for the original Section 5 construction was way too optimistic to be reality. The fact that it ultimately took about four to five years to construct it might be a bit more realistic, especially since it isn't a new terrain route. The problem was that we were sold on an unrealistic time frame and when the crap hit the fan it looked a lot worse than it probably would have been if a more realistic timeline had been given. US 31 in Carmel took five years to build into a freeway over existing routing and that was mainly over flat terrain, with a useful alternative for half of the route with Keystone Parkway.

Still, if they work at the intensity that they had for Section 5 over the past year or so since the state took over, it could be a little more possible, I think that 2025 or 2026 would be more realistic considering all the work they have to do around Martinsville and along 37 north of SR 144. It's probably a little more difficult then rebuilding an already near-freeway like bypass around Bloomington and mostly rural highway north of there.

Looking at the weather this coming weekend, I imagine it may not be until the end of this month before Section 5 nears completion, looks like a complete washout on any kind of meaningful construction.

[sparker]

^^^^^^^
As far as new-terrain vs. "overlay" freeways are concerned, the pros and cons of either probably end up being something of a "wash".  Obviously, rural new-terrain facilities require considerably more property acquisition -- but with an overlay alignment, the properties that do have to be purchased are likely to be more costly on a unit-by-unit basis, particularly roadside commercial enterprises.  And overlay freeways have an issue that doesn't affect new-terrain construction except where other roads are crossed -- ensuring that there are means for traffic on the original facility to move as efficiently as possible during the construction period.  For a 2-lane original road, that usually means twinning it, moving traffic to the new carriageway, then rebuilding the original alignment in like fashion.  In the case of I-69, IN 37 was already a divided road with a relatively wide median; through traffic would have to be somewhat inconvenienced by confining the traffic flow to one carriageway at a time while the other was being rebuilt; of course, the intersecting roads would face similar issues.  The one advantage of overlay freeways is site access -- egress is ensured and the time required to transport materials and crews on-and-off site is lessened considerably vis-à-vis new-terrain alignments such as just down the road southwest of Bloomington.  But that is offset by the time consumed to tear down existing roadways and structures prior to the "upgrade" rebuild -- while endeavoring to minimize disruption to existing traffic patterns over the entire construction process.

Bottom line -- anyone or any agency expecting Sections 5 & 6 to require less time for completion compared to the new-terrain sections south toward Evansville is just fooling themselves; if anything, the historic Indy-Bloomington traffic flow would render those sections particularly problematic.   The fiscal problems simply made an intrinsically difficult build even more difficult to complete.

[hoosierguy]

If the state had managed Section 5 from the beginning the project would have been completed a year ago. The private developer wasted so much time.

[ITB]

Looking at the weather this coming weekend, I imagine it may not be until the end of this month before Section 5 nears completion, looks like a complete washout on any kind of meaningful construction.

Yup, it's going to a wet weekend, no doubt. Good weather, however, is expected to return early next week. Section 5, to be sure, is very near completion. The northbound lanes, in their entirety, are now completely paved. Only a modest segment of the left lane and shoulder of the southbound roadway is needing its final top layer of asphalt. After that completes, joint sealant will be applied, followed by a cure period of up to five days. Then it's on to lane striping and the installation of reflectors. The I-69 shields are going up, too. There's an uncovered one on the southbound lanes near the SR 37/SR 46 interchange with an attached mileage marker–"120 mile". I also noticed a crew south of the Tapp Road interchange getting ready to put up a shiny new I-69 shield.

Edit: minor correction for accuracy

[thefro]

https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/indot-to-hear-public-input-in-martinsville-on-i-69-section-6-design.php

Section 6 meeting in Martinsville Monday

The Indiana Department of Transportation will host a public meeting in Martinsville Monday to get feedback on design additions and adjustments to I-69 Section 6.

The section of interstate will run from Martinsville to Indianapolis and will cost up to $1.5 billion.

Over the summer, Martinsville leaders sought public input on design elements like wall barriers, fencing and ornamental lighting. INDOT officials will present an adjusted design plan at Monday's meeting.

"Some of the Martinsville items we'll discuss are significant additions, some are minor tweaks and some have to do with timing," said I-69 Section 6 Project Manager Jim Earl in a statement.

INDOT will publish the revised plan online after the meeting. Public comment will be accepted online through Sept. 28.

[IndyAgent]

Does anyone know the start date for Section 6?

Once they get it north of Martinsville its almost clear sailing until you hit 144. I have said for years the should build a bridge over 144 and 37 years ago. I hope they will work hard on Martinsville first 

[thefro]

Does anyone know the start date for Section 6?

Once they get it north of Martinsville its almost clear sailing until you hit 144. I have said for years the should build a bridge over 144 and 37 years ago. I hope they will work hard on Martinsville first

2020 although some prelim work could start next year

[ITB]

Two contracts for I-69 Section 6 are in the INDOT 18-month contract letting schedule. They are as follows:

Contract#: 40848
Letting Date: 12-12-2018
County: Morgan
District: Seymour

Components of Contract #40848 include:
- New Bridge, Other Construction – South Street over Sartor Ditch
- New Bridge, Other Construction – South Street/Grand Valley Boulevard over I-69
- New Road Construction – Grand Valley Boulevard from South Street to Cramertown Loop
- New Road Construction – Artesian Avenue from Mahalasville Road to Grand Valley Boulevard
- Signs, Lighting, Signals and Markings – Grand Valley Boulevard to Artesian Avenue

Contract#: 33493
Letting Date: 7-10-2019
County: Morgan
District: Seymour

Components of Contract #33493 include:
- Bridge Replacement, Other Construction – I-69 northbound and southbound (NB/SB) over Indian Creek
- Bridge Replacement, Other Construction – I-69 NB/SB over SR 39
- New Bridge, Other Construction – I-69 NB/SB over Ohio Street
- New Bridge, Other Construction – I-69 NB/SB over Sartor Ditch
- New Bridge, Other Construction – I-69 NB/SB over SR 252 / Hospital Drive
- New Bridge, Other Construction – SR 44 / Reuben Drive over I-69
- New Bridge, Other Construction – Ohio Street over Sartor Ditch
- New Bridge, Other – Old Ohio Street over Sartor Ditch
- Signs, Lighting, Signals and Markings – from Indian Creek via SR 37 to 1 mile N of SR 44


The letting of Contract #33493 signals the gearing up of major work on Section 6, in which State Road 37 will be upgraded to interstate standards between the city of Martinsville in Morgan County, Indiana, to Interstate 465 in Marion County. The Section 6 project encompasses 26.7 miles, which includes elements of I-465 widening both east and west of the new I-69/I-465 interchange.

Contract #33493 is for Segment 1 of Section 6, and it applies to the stretch of SR 37 from just south of the city of Martinsville to one mile north of SR 44. Because there weren't any Road Construction entries found under Contract #33493 in the INDOT 18-Month Construction Letting List (as of August 16, 2018), it can be assumed the "Other Construction" of the Replacement/New Bridge entries will cover the mainline work in and around the bridges and interchanges. But maybe not.

With the successful letting of Contract #40848, scheduled for December 12, 2018, work should get underway in the Spring of 2019. While this contract mainly involves the construction of local access roads–Artesian Avenue and Grand Valley Boulevard–a new overpass carrying South Street/Grand Valley Boulevard over I-69 is to be built as well. INDOT officials have stated they wish to commence major Section 6 construction in fiscal year 2020, which begins October 1, 2019. If the July 10, 2019 letting of Contract #33493 goes well, it's very possible construction under that contract will begin in the Fall of 2019.

* There is one difference that has come to my attention between the details of Contract #33493 and the official INDOT Section 6 maps. In Contract #33493, bridges are to built to carry the mainline I-69 roadways over Ohio Street in Martinsville, while the map (uploaded on the INDOT Section 6 website) shows Ohio Street going over I-69. Obviously, this is a major discrepancy. In all likelihood, this will be addressed and cleared up at the I-69 public meeting in Martinsville Monday, September 17, 2018.

Link to INDOT 18-Month Construction Letting List (as of Aug 16, 2018): https://www.in.gov/indot/div/lettings/18MonthsConstLettingDetails_Ext.pdf

Link to INDOT Section 6 map (Indian Creek to Grand Valley Boulevard): https://www.in.gov/indot/projects/i69/files/Map%201%20Indian%20Creek%20to%20Grand%20Valley%20Boulevard.pdf

Edit: Added the paragraph denoted by the * and the link to the INDOT Section 6 map; grammar.


 

[thefro]

Definitely sounds like we're getting close to substantial completition:

https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/i-69-section-5-restrictions-back-in-place-this-week.php

According to a release from the INDOT I-69 Section 5 office, the following restrictions will be in place for the week of Monday, September 17:

Flaggers will be in place on both eastbound and westbound Fullerton Pike from 7 a.m. to
5 p.m. to direct traffic around crews working on punch list items.
There will be lane restrictions on both 2nd Street and 3rd Street from 7 p.m. Monday to 6
a.m. Tuesday for the installation of detector loops and other traffic signal hardware.
The right lane of southbound SR 37 will be closed from Vernal Pike to south of Acuff
Road for the installation of road sign posts.
The left lanes of northbound SR 37 from Kinser Pike to the Sample Road interchange
will be closed for guardrail installation.
The right lane of northbound SR 37 from the Sample Road interchange to Burma Road
will be closed for the installation of shoulder stone.
The left lane of northbound SR 37 from Burma Road to Jordan Creek will be closed for
median work.
The right lane of northbound SR 37 from Jordan Creek to Big Indian Creek will be closed
for the placement of shoulder stone.
The left lane of southbound SR 37 from Indian Creek to south of Bryant's Creek will be
closed for shoulder and median work.

[silverback1065]

once you hear the term "punch list" the project is basically over. 

[ITB]

Section 5 is now officially Interstate 69.

Here's a segment of the news article announcing the official designation, published Tuesday, September 18, 2018, in the Herald-Times, South-Central Indiana's main newspaper. 

Section 5 officially part of I-69
Traffic Tuesday

By Michael Reschke 812-331-4370 | mreschke@heraldt.com 6 hrs ago

The 21 mile section of Ind. 37 that has been under construction for four years is now officially part of Interstate 69.

The Federal Highway Administration has accepted this section into the interstate highway inventory, said Scott Manning, Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman, in an email. As a result, all I-69 signs being installed along the route will not have covers or bags on them. Covers will be removed from I-69 signs that were installed before the official designation as final inspections are completed.

There will be signs for both Ind. 37 and I-69 along the I-69 Section 5 route. The interstate and state highway merge into one road just south of Rockport Road in Monroe County. I-69 Section 5 then follows essentially the same route as Ind. 37 north to the Indian Creek bridge in Morgan County.

Despite the official designation, work will continue along I-69 Section 5 for some time. ...

And, of course, to commemorate the event a picture is needed.


I-69 shields at the Interstate 69/Sample Road interchange in Monroe County, Indiana; looking east. Photo was taken Saturday, September 15, 2018.

[Interstate 69 Fan]

Section 5 is now officially Interstate 69.

Here's a segment of the news article announcing the official designation, published Tuesday, September 18, 2018, in the Herald-Times, South-Central Indiana's main newspaper. 

Section 5 officially part of I-69
Traffic Tuesday

By Michael Reschke 812-331-4370 | mreschke@heraldt.com 6 hrs ago

The 21 mile section of Ind. 37 that has been under construction for four years is now officially part of Interstate 69.

The Federal Highway Administration has accepted this section into the interstate highway inventory, said Scott Manning, Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman, in an email. As a result, all I-69 signs being installed along the route will not have covers or bags on them. Covers will be removed from I-69 signs that were installed before the official designation as final inspections are completed.

There will be signs for both Ind. 37 and I-69 along the I-69 Section 5 route. The interstate and state highway merge into one road just south of Rockport Road in Monroe County. I-69 Section 5 then follows essentially the same route as Ind. 37 north to the Indian Creek bridge in Morgan County.

Despite the official designation, work will continue along I-69 Section 5 for some time. ...

And, of course, to commemorate the event a picture is needed.


I-69 shields at the Interstate 69/Sample Road interchange in Monroe County, Indiana; looking east. Photo was taken Saturday, September 15, 2018.

About time! 

[Roadsguy]

The designation stops abruptly at the bridge? It doesn't even make it to IN 39?

[ITB]

The designation stops abruptly at the bridge? It doesn't even make it to IN 39?

That's right. Section 5 ends just prior to the bridges crossing Indian Creek, which is located about a mile south of SR 39. Northbound, there's a "Freeway Ends" sign up on the right hand side as the road bends toward the bridges.