Significant lane and ramp closures scheduled for I-465, I-69 starting June 20
The closures will help construction crews work on new pavement, bridges and noise walls beginning June 20, according to an INDOT press release. Scheduled closures may take place at different days or times if inclement weather occurs.
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Indianapolis Star
4 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY - Breaking News and Latest News Today
Show Caption As the dentist might say near the end of a root canal: Hang tight, we're almost all done here. Fishers officials said the latest traffic disruptions on State Road 37 and 141st Street will be here for a while but will be the last — though some numbness may remain for frustrated commuters. The city is in the final stage of building th e long-delayed overpass crossing at 141st to fully convert SR 37 to a freeway-style road. The restrictions will likely last until the entire job is completed next summer, said Hatem Mekky, Fisher's director of engineering. The current closures include reduced lanes on Interstate 37, with some exit and entrance ramps closed and a detour at 141st Street. Specifically, the restrictions are: Traffic on 141st Street across SR 37 is closed, as it has been since January 2023. Both north and southbound traffic on SR 37 has been moved to the southbound lanes, reducing them to one lane in each direction. The east side on and off ramps are closed at 141st Street. Southbound drivers can exit to westbound 141st Street but can't go east. Drivers entering SR 37 from the west can only go south, in a 'right-in, right-out' configuration. Motorists who want to get to 141st Street will need to get off at 146th and double back or exit 135th Street. Mekky said work crew are installing the pilings that will support the 141 Street overpass, building the ramps and preparing the drainage system. 'There's a lot of excavation that goes into the drainage; they go 20 feet deep,' Mekky said. Mekky said traffic lights on 146th have been reprogrammed to accommodate the increase in traffic caused by the current closure. The work mirrors that which was recently completed on the west side of the crossing and forced a lengthy closing there. The road work has caused disruptions to businesses to varying degrees along the busy commercial corridor because of the difficulty customers have driving there. Some have said sales have declined, others said they've held steady but forced changes in tactics, such as emphasizing online sales. The city has hired a public relations and marketing firm that manages a website, 37Thrives, to provide drivers and businesses with construction updates and keep them apprised of traffic changes. The completion of the intersection will bring an end to an eight-year project that was delayed by cost increases. The cost was originally estimated in 2018 at $124 million, with a $100 million stake by the Indiana Department of Transportation and contributions of $12 million by Fishers and Hamilton County. When the price tag jumped to $160 million, it required the county and Fishers to find the money to pay for the increases. Awarding the contract for the 141st Street project set back the project further when all three applicants submitted bids that exceeded the budget. Fishers, which is heading the project, decided to wait until interest rates were more favorable and they could re-bid it. The road reconstruction allows SR 37 drivers to advance a signal-free trip from 116th Street to 146th, and removes stoplights on the cross streets.
Indianapolis Star
25-07-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana tolls on I-65? I don't like it, but our crumbling roads need the cash.
When I head to Chicago or Nashville, I know I'll be receiving a tolling invoice in the mail soon after. It's a minor inconvenience because I don't use those routes very often. But the prospect of Indiana tolling interstates within state lines is an entirely different discussion. I take Interstate 65 to and from work almost every day and I would no doubt rack up a ridiculous bill — at the same time that I'm paying high gas taxes every time I fill up. My immediate reaction is: no way. But I'm trying to see all sides of the debate. The fact is Hoosiers love to complain about our roads, but no one wants to pay to improve them. And our roads aren't that bad depending on who you ask. The Indiana Department of Transportation compared Indiana to neighboring states on 12 criteria, including road and bridge conditions, fatality rates, travel reliability and more: 'INDOT ranked in the top 3rd in 5 areas and in the middle 3rd in the others,' the 2024 report said. The federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics also rates 97% of Indiana's roads as 'good' or 'fair.' But a Reason Foundation analysis found Indiana ranked 32nd in highway performance nationally. And the money raised from Indiana's fuel-related taxes simply isn't keeping up with demand. That's partially because people are purchasing less gasoline. Newer cars are more efficient, and some cars don't need it at all. Inflation has also spiked the cost of repairing or replacing roads and bridges. So, Indiana — and every other state — has a diminishing revenue stream but more roads than ever to maintain. And when I say Indiana, I don't just mean state-owned roads. Most of the roads in the state are cared for by counties, cities and towns — about 89%. Their needs are immense. One analysis said local governments would require an additional $2.4 billion annually to eliminate poorly rated local roads and bridges across the state over the next 10 years. The annual price tag for simply maintaining roads at the current condition is $1 billion. So, would any of the additional revenue raised from tolls go to local infrastructure? More from Niki Kelly: Indiana's crackdown on small college programs will drive students away Lawmakers recently tried to think outside the box and offer other options. One was a surcharge on deliveries, such as Amazon and DoorDash. That language was removed pretty quickly. The state is also trying to force local units into implementing wheel taxes to take some ownership of the problem and raise fees and taxes at the local level. But those are honestly just nibbling around the edges of the problem. Tolling is where the money is at. And it's a lot of money. One 2017 feasibility study produced for INDOT estimated that a statewide interstate highway tolling program would have an 85% chance of generating upwards of $39 billion between 2021 and 2050. It further reported a 50% chance that revenue could exceed $53 billion over that timeframe. The estimates didn't include the costs to install and maintain tolling gantries, process payments, provide customer service, enforce collections and more. Former Gov. Eric Holcomb chose not to go down that route, but Gov. Mike Braun appears to be more interested. And lawmakers recently removed some final impediments to imposing tolling on state highways. 'It's going to have to be considered because, otherwise, I don't think we can maintain our main arteries,' Braun said earlier this year. Tolling interstates isn't as clear-cut as it seems. It's generally against federal law to collect tolls on existing federal highways. But Congress has allowed several exceptions. For instance, a state can toll an existing bridge after it is reconstructed and toll new lanes added to an interstate. Briggs: Mike Braun grandstands on Indianapolis crime while murders drop 24% The option that is most expansive is the Interstate System Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Pilot Program, which allows tolling on existing interstate facilities to fund needed reconstruction or rehabilitation on corridors that could not otherwise be adequately maintained or functionally improved. It has only three slots — awarded to Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia years ago. But those states never implemented the program, which has essentially been inactive. INDOT said it has not filed a waiver request on tolling — yet. I honestly don't see how tolling in some way can be avoided. Leaders want to capture the trucks and travelers passing through Indiana without stopping for gas. But it'll be tough to avoid hurting Hoosiers already paying their fair share.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Yahoo
Get ready, Lloyd Expressway drivers: Revamped intersections will open this week
After months of construction, revamped intersections on the Lloyd Expressway in Evansville are set to open this week. Weather permitting, the Lloyd's new interchanges with Stockwell Road will be unveiled to the public on Wednesday after the "morning peak travel period" ends, the Indiana Department of Transportation said in a news release Monday morning. Motorists heading east on the Lloyd and looking to turn north onto Stockwell will come upon a displaced left. They'll have to enter the left turn lanes right as they pass Vann Avenue and well before they reach the main intersection. "Pay attention to signs and pavement markings to avoid missing your opportunity to go north," the release states. Westbound Lloyd drivers wanting to head south on Stockwell, meanwhile, will navigate a boulevard left. They will actually go through the main intersection and then spill into a left turn lane that will eventually allow them to make a U-turn. That will send them back the opposite direction to then turn right onto Stockwell. According to the release, police officers will be on scene to "encourage traffic calming" − as in, make sure drivers navigate the designs smoothly. On Tuesday, crews will actually block traditional left turns onto northbound Stockwell to prep for the unveiling. And there will be additional closures as workers add new pavement striping between Stockwell and the Pigeon Creek Bridge. The Stockwell work is one small part of the yearslong, $100 million overhaul of the Lloyd Expressway that's meant to improve safety and travel times. And as one project ends, two more are set to begin. On Monday, crews planned to begin prep work for huge undertakings at two of the busiest intersections in Evansville: the Lloyd and Burkhart Road, and the Lloyd and Cross Pointe Boulevard. Both will receive displaced left turns in each direction. Drivers will start to see closures of interior lanes as workers remove concrete medians. This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: When will new intersections open on Evansville's Lloyd Expressway?
