Latest news with #IndianaDepartmentofTransportation
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
I-65 fiery truck crashes ignite conversation about tolling, expanding highway
Recent fiery truck accidents on Interstate 65 in southern Lake and Jasper counties in the spring resulted in long traffic delays and asphalt repairs, which have resurfaced questions about tolling and expanding I-65. House Enrolled Act 1461, authored by state Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, would allow the state to charge tolls on all Indiana interstate highways, including Interstate 80/94 and I-65. Specifically, the law allows the Indiana Department of Transportation to submit a request to the Federal Highway Administration for a waiver to toll lanes on interstate highways. If the waiver is granted, the legislature would not have to enact a statute for the Indiana finance authority to take action on tolling. Indiana uses fuel tax to fund road projects, Braun said at an event in Munster last month, but as vehicles become more fuel efficient drivers have been buying less gas. Braun said he 'probably will' ask for federal approval to toll Indiana highways. 'It's going to have to be considered because otherwise, I don't think we can maintain our main arteries,' Braun said. 'Asking for the ability to do it doesn't mean you're going to do it comprehensively. You do it selectively, where the need is the greatest.' Indiana Department of Transportation spokeswoman Cassandra Bajek said Monday that the department hasn't received information from the governor's office or the legislature about beginning to toll roads in Indiana. 'That question is still being answered. We're still waiting to hear what their intent was with that one,' Bajek said. Expanding I-65 to three lanes, for both northbound and southbound traffic, 'is always a topic of conversation' at INDOT, 'however we do not currently have a project in place to do so' in Northwest Indiana, Bajek said. A truck fire in April led to paint cans exploding from the vehicle and halting traffic on I-65 southbound. A truck driver pulled over near mile-marker 231 on I-65 southbound around 1 p.m. April 21. The driver noticed the brakes on one side of the tractor were glowing red and started on fire, according to an Indiana State Police news release. The driver ran to get a fire extinguisher from the cab, but when she returned the fire had spread to the trailer, which was filled with paint cans, according to the release. The paint cans 'ignited and caused an intense fire that quickly spread to the adjacent trees and even caught the asphalt roadway surface on fire,' according to the release. As crews worked to put out the fire, there was a moment when north and southbound lanes were closed because of the smoke. When the scene was cleared, a large section of asphalt had to be replaced, according to the release. The highway was closed for approximately 16 hours, Bajek said. A semi-truck crash in May led to a fire, closed I-65 near Lowell for hours and needed asphalt repair. A UPS truck crashed while headed northbound on I-65 near mile-marker 238.8 May 17 after exiting a construction zone lane restriction. The truck 'experienced a sudden tire failure on one of the steer tires' which resulted in the driver losing control of the truck, according to an Indiana State Police news release. The truck and trailer overturned, which blocked the entire roadway, and caught fire. The driver was able to get out of the truck but was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the release. The asphalt was damaged and deemed unsafe for traffic, according to the release, so it had to be replaced and refilled. The road was closed for approximately 10 hours, Bajek said. As a result, beginning in June, the Lake County Sheriff's Department Traffic Unit began enforcing operations targeting overweight vehicles that are damaging roadways and impacting driver safety along the state line in southwest Lake County, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Department news release. The department will send out more than 60 warning notices to companies and drivers of vehicles in violation of weight limits. Drivers will receive tickets if they continue to ignore weight restrictions on county roadways, according to the sheriff's release. In Lake County, there is a 15-ton limit on 197th, 185th and 151st from U.S. 41 west to State Line Road, according to the sheriff's release. 'We are taking this proactive approach to help reduce the kind of heavy traffic on weight restricted roads that causes significant wear and tear on the roads,' Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez said in the release. 'The accelerated degradation of the roads leads to increased maintenance costs for taxpayers.' akukulka@
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Chicago Tribune
I-65 fiery truck crashes ignite conversation about tolling, expanding highway
Recent fiery truck accidents on Interstate 65 in southern Lake and Jasper counties in the spring resulted in long traffic delays and asphalt repairs, which have resurfaced questions about tolling and expanding I-65. House Enrolled Act 1461, authored by state Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie, would allow the state to charge tolls on all Indiana interstate highways, including Interstate 80/94 and I-65. Specifically, the law allows the Indiana Department of Transportation to submit a request to the Federal Highway Administration for a waiver to toll lanes on interstate highways. If the waiver is granted, the legislature would not have to enact a statute for the Indiana finance authority to take action on tolling. Indiana uses fuel tax to fund road projects, Braun said at an event in Munster last month, but as vehicles become more fuel efficient drivers have been buying less gas. Braun said he 'probably will' ask for federal approval to toll Indiana highways. 'It's going to have to be considered because otherwise, I don't think we can maintain our main arteries,' Braun said. 'Asking for the ability to do it doesn't mean you're going to do it comprehensively. You do it selectively, where the need is the greatest.' Indiana Department of Transportation spokeswoman Cassandra Bajek said Monday that the department hasn't received information from the governor's office or the legislature about beginning to toll roads in Indiana. 'That question is still being answered. We're still waiting to hear what their intent was with that one,' Bajek said. Expanding I-65 to three lanes, for both northbound and southbound traffic, 'is always a topic of conversation' at INDOT, 'however we do not currently have a project in place to do so' in Northwest Indiana, Bajek said. A truck fire in April led to paint cans exploding from the vehicle and halting traffic on I-65 southbound. A truck driver pulled over near mile-marker 231 on I-65 southbound around 1 p.m. April 21. The driver noticed the brakes on one side of the tractor were glowing red and started on fire, according to an Indiana State Police news release. The driver ran to get a fire extinguisher from the cab, but when she returned the fire had spread to the trailer, which was filled with paint cans, according to the release. The paint cans 'ignited and caused an intense fire that quickly spread to the adjacent trees and even caught the asphalt roadway surface on fire,' according to the release. As crews worked to put out the fire, there was a moment when north and southbound lanes were closed because of the smoke. When the scene was cleared, a large section of asphalt had to be replaced, according to the release. The highway was closed for approximately 16 hours, Bajek said. A semi-truck crash in May led to a fire, closed I-65 near Lowell for hours and needed asphalt repair. A UPS truck crashed while headed northbound on I-65 near mile-marker 238.8 May 17 after exiting a construction zone lane restriction. The truck 'experienced a sudden tire failure on one of the steer tires' which resulted in the driver losing control of the truck, according to an Indiana State Police news release. The truck and trailer overturned, which blocked the entire roadway, and caught fire. The driver was able to get out of the truck but was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the release. The asphalt was damaged and deemed unsafe for traffic, according to the release, so it had to be replaced and refilled. The road was closed for approximately 10 hours, Bajek said. As a result, beginning in June, the Lake County Sheriff's Department Traffic Unit began enforcing operations targeting overweight vehicles that are damaging roadways and impacting driver safety along the state line in southwest Lake County, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Department news release. The department will send out more than 60 warning notices to companies and drivers of vehicles in violation of weight limits. Drivers will receive tickets if they continue to ignore weight restrictions on county roadways, according to the sheriff's release. In Lake County, there is a 15-ton limit on 197th, 185th and 151st from U.S. 41 west to State Line Road, according to the sheriff's release. 'We are taking this proactive approach to help reduce the kind of heavy traffic on weight restricted roads that causes significant wear and tear on the roads,' Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez said in the release. 'The accelerated degradation of the roads leads to increased maintenance costs for taxpayers.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
KYTC plans to begin Glover Cary Bridge repair project next week
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) announced Thursday that major repairs to the historic Glover Cary Bridge — also known as the Owensboro 'Blue Bridge' — will begin with preliminary work next week. When major repair get underway in early July, the bridge is expected to be closed to all traffic for about 90 days. 'Repairs to safeguard the iconic Glover Cary Bridge in downtown Owensboro are scheduled this summer to maintain the vital traffic service it provides across the Ohio River between northwest Kentucky and southern Indiana,' a Thursday press release from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said. 'This is the largest repair operation on the Glover Cary Bridge since 2011,' said KYTC district two public information officer Matt Hughes. 'It has closed for more minor repairs since 2011, but this is the biggest project in recent years.' Hughes said that following an inspection of the bridge last fall, engineers estimated needing to close the bridge for around six months. 'But the engineers have worked to streamline the repairs in order to shorten the closure length, to reduce traffic impacts to a minimum,' he said. Last fall's inspection also called for repairs to the roadway on the Indiana side of the bridge, Hughes said. 'During that inspection back in the fall, they found some issues over on the north river in Indiana that were going to require the road to be shut down to make some repairs,' Hughes said. 'We were able to work with the Indiana Department of Transportation to try to get that built into this one project because we're going to have the bridge shut down anyway. So we though to go ahead and get that fixed as well so there won't be more inconvenience for travelers.' According to Thursday's press release, work on the bridge will begin with single-lane closures starting on Monday, June 9 and run through Wednesday, June 11. Flaggers will be directing traffic in an alternating one-lane method. American Contracting & Services, hired by the KYTC, plans to fully close the bridge, which connects Kentucky 2262 with Indiana SR 161, following the Independence Day holiday weekend, in order for the full scope of work to begin. During that time, the aging bridge deck will be replaced, concrete repairs will be made and bridge joints will be repaired. 'While the entire project is slated to last through November, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is limiting the actual bridge closure to 90 days or less. That schedule would have the bridge reopened around the first of October,' stated the press release. Hughes said that construction crews are planning to work through the night in order to keep the repair timeline to 90 days or less. KYTC said that closing only one lane at a time on the bridge wasn't possible to be able to complete all of the repairs. 'Crews will be fully replacing one 750-foot span of concrete-filled bridge decking while making repairs to a second span of the same length. Because the decking spans the entire width of the bridge surface, closing one lane at a time is impossible,' the press release detailed. Closing the bridge for these repairs, Hughes said, 'will allow for long-term concrete maintenance to be completed, rather than short-term repairs, helping to keep the bridge safe and open for many years to come'. Work that can be completed without fully closing the bridge is planned to happen outside of the 90-day window. KYTC estimates that around 7,200 vehicles cross the Blue Bridge, which opened to public traffic in 1940, daily. During the time of the closure, travelers needing to traverse the Ohio River into Southern Indiana should detour to the U.S. 231 William H. Natcher Bridge. Up-to-date traffic information provided by the KYTC can be found at
Chicago Tribune
22-05-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Dark clouds don't dim celebration of new Colorado Street bridge in Hobart
The opening of the Colorado Street bridge over the Canadian National Railroad was celebrated with a ribbon cutting and brief comments by Hobart Mayor Josh Huddlestun and former Mayor Brian Snedecor. That portion of Colorado Street, just north of 69th Avenue, has been closed to traffic since February 2024 and reopened Thursday following the ceremony held under a dark-cloud-filled sky. Both mayors singled out the Indiana Department of Transportation for its part in funding the project through INDOT's TRAX Program while also thanking other partners in the project including Lochmueller Group, American Structurepoint and Superior Construction. 'This is going to mean a lot more than a bridge over a railroad track. This was one of the pinch points for us. There were lots of accidents. It will definitely help our first responders…We appreciate this from the bottom of our heart,' Huddlestun said. Snedecor also had nothing but praise for INDOT which awarded Hobart $5,574,280 some seven years ago. 'Back in 2018, we were one of a few communities to receive the TRAX grant. Many of you remember this crossing and trains having to come to a stop. Without INDOT's commitment to funding this would have never happened,' Snedecor said. The project is part of INDOT's Local Trax Rail Overpass Program which aims to improve safety and mobility at local railroad crossings. Hobart was awarded over $5 million to convert the grade crossing to a new two-span, prestressed concrete bulb-tee beam bridge with one lane in each direction and a 10-foot sidewalk. The project also accounted for future growth and traffic in the area, according to city officials. Matt Deitchley, deputy commissioner for INDOT, said he was there when the TRAX grant was awarded to Hobart and other communities in Northwest Indiana. 'I could not be more excited to see the finish line here today. It will be a huge benefit to mobility but more importantly safety,' Deitchley said. Gina Sessions, a project manager for American Structurepoint, said even though the road will be open to traffic there will still be some loose ends to complete including sodding and lighting.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Two-week closure for Schutte Road expected to begin Monday
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Officials say a temporary closure of Schutte Road is expected to start soon. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) says this closure will be from north of the Lloyd Expressway to near West Terrace General Baptist Church. The closure is expected to begin May 19. Property owners rally before INDOT's restraining order hearing INDOT says the 14-day closure of Schutte Road is expected to last through the Memorial Day weekend. Closures at Schutte and McDowell are part of the preparation for a system of restricted access U-turns. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
