Beam signing marks I-69 milestone on southside

Indiana officials on Thursday to ceremoniously sign one of the final steel bridge girders to be hung as the new I-69/I-465 system interchange takes shape on the southwest side of Indianapolis.

Gov. Eric J. Holcomb and Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Smith joined members of the I-69 Finish Line project team for the ceremony.

Holcomb said in a press release from INDOT the ceremony marks a major milestone in the last phase of the long-awaited project.

“Completing I-69 couldn’t be more critical to further strengthening Indiana’s strategic location as the Crossroads of America, and I’m ecstatic to be on the precipice of completing the Final Mile,” Holcomb said in a statement. “I-69’s ultimate completion just months away will pave the way for greater opportunity and growth border to border for years to come. I’m so proud of and thankful for all the hard-working men and women who will finish this mega project three years ahead of the initial schedule.”

Work began in early 2022 at the site of the new interchange, where crews moved more than one million cubic yards of earth to prepare for construction. Progress on the entire 26-mile corridor, the sixth and final section of I-69 between Evansville and Indianapolis, began in 2019 in Martinsville, INDOT officials say.

“The hard work and dedication put into the I-69 Finish Line project has been truly remarkable,” Smith said in a statement. “I appreciate the commitment from each team member who has played a part in making I-69 a reality.”

As the $2 billion project approaches completion, much of the activity will be focused on the construction of the new interchange, I-69 mainline paving north of Southport Road, westbound travel lanes on I-465 between I-65 and I-70 and reconstruction of the I-465 WB bridges over the White River and Harding Street. The entire corridor is on track to open by the end of 2024, INDOT officials say.