The final leg of the project is called “I-69 Finish Line” and it should be done by the end of 2024, with unrestricted lane travel by the end of this year.
According to the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) when complete, I-69 will run continuously from Michigan’s east coast of Port Huron, all the way to Evansville.
Natalie Garrett, strategic communications director with INDOT, said anyone traveling along the construction route will see features being built such as overpasses, some flyover ramps and additional lanes.
“So that should help with traffic flow, allowing people to get where they need to go both safer, quicker and smoother.”
All of this to make the connecting interchanges more like real expressways.
State Road 37 also will be shifted to no longer follow Harding Street south of Indianapolis. This project will bring State Road 37, which runs north and south as part of the I-465 route, up to “interstate standards.”
This is being done by removing “at grade crossings,” and reducing it to actual interchanges, said Garrett.
“The lanes are being reconstructed,” she said. “There are added lanes in some locations, construction of overpasses, underpasses, the addition of cable barriers through the median and some other safety improvements.”
Garrett said the trip from Martinsville to Indianapolis will decrease by 11 minutes when complete.
The overall I-69 extension construction began in 2007 with the section running from I-64 just north of Evansville up to Oakland City.
It was the result of 75 years of studies, and the conclusion that a completed I-69 would generates billions of dollars in economic activity.
Garrett said INDOT estimates $4.1 billion in regional economic impact over 20 years. The cost for I-69 Finish Line is $2 billion.
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