As work ramps up on Interstate 69 in Johnson County, Indiana Department of Transportation project managers gave an update Tuesday during a local chamber luncheon.
The state’s I-69 Finish Line Project is years in the making, with a long-term goal of connecting Evansville and Indianapolis. Local work is part of INDOT’s $2 billion project to bridge the gap between Martinsville and Interstate 465 in Indianapolis; State Road 37 will become I-69.
Sarah Rubin and Tim Miller, both I-69 corridor project managers, went over facts and figures of the project, as well as local road projects in preparation for the opening of the interstate in Johnson County, during Aspire’s Business Matters Luncheon. Dozens of business and community members gathered for the event.
Local work continued this year around State Road 37 in Johnson County, with several closures and detours impacting drivers in the White River Township area. The road’s intersection with Travis Road, Stones Crossing Road and Bluff Acres Road have been closed, and future closures this year include the intersection of State Road 37 and Banta Road, as well as the state road’s intersection with Bluff Road and Bluffdale Drive, Rubin said.
New access roads help with the closures, though, including ones connecting Fairview Road to Bluffdale Road and Waterman’s Farm, and a connection between Stones Crossing Road and Travis Road, she said.
As construction crews work, drivers should be aware of State Road 37 lane closures that occur during off-peak hours, Rubin said.
“Be an engaged driver. Be familiar with your surroundings. Stay alert. The traffic shifts will be there and they may not be what you think,” Rubin said.
Rubin and Miller also discussed what the future of western Johnson County and the southside of Indianapolis might look like once the interstate opens, including interchanges at State Road 144, Smith Valley Road, County Line Road, Southport Road and Epler Avenue that are expected to spark development, Rubin said.
South of Smith Valley Road, the interstate will have four lanes, two in each direction. From Smith Valley Road to Southport Road, it will have three lanes in each direction. And north of Southport Road, there will be four lanes in each direction, she said.
INDOT worked with local businesses, county officials, emergency services and schools on the logistics of the project, Miller said.
“This will reap a lot of benefits for the business community. We have to have a lot of coordination. We’re still working with police, fire rescue; we worked with them in the planning phases,” he said.
Aesthetics is another important aspect of the project, Miller said.
“On (State Road) 37, you can see some of the brick patterns and monuments in Morgan County,” he said. “Many of the same design features will be incorporated in Johnson County.”
