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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Department of Transportation plans to close Interstate 70 in both directions on the west side of Indianapolis, between the south-split interchange and Ronald Reagan Parkway for about 30 days each starting later this month.
On Thursday, INDOT announced that it would close eastbound lanes of I-70 starting May 22, with reopening scheduled for June 28. Westbound lanes will close June 26, with a planned reopening on July 30.
Because of the COVID-19-related traffic reductions, INDOT is implementing similar closures right now on I-70 between I-465 and the north-split interchange on the east side of Indianapolis.
Eastbound lanes of I-70 in this stretch are planned to reopen May 13, and westbound lanes are planned to reopen May 23.
Closures on the west-side projects will remain in effect during both the Memorial Day and July 4th holiday weekends.
During the closures, road crews from Goshen-based contractor Rieth-Riley Construction Co. will be patching concrete and working on bridge joints and bridge decks.
All collector lanes to and from the Indianapolis International Airport will remain open during the I-70 closures.
Drivers headed west on I-70 during the shutdown are advised to take I-465 southbound to the Ronald Reagan Parkway collector lanes to reach the airport. Or, continue north on I-465 to get back to I-70.
To access I-70 eastbound from the airport, INDOT said, take the collector lanes to I-465 northbound and stay on I-465 until it connects with I-70 eastbound.
Workers will be “accelerating planned construction on I-70 to allow work to be done before major events rescheduled due to the COVID-19 public health emergency resume,” INDOT said in a written statement.
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Those detour instructions for the airport seem wrong. Did they issue a map?
I agree, they don’t make any sense. I checked INDOT’s website and can find no detour maps.
I also agree. The term “collector lanes” mean nothing to me and I go to the airport at least once a week.
Are they talking about the section of the freeway that is on airport property? If so, they still dump onto I-70.
Best bet is to get off at Sam Jones (the old airport entrance) and take the south perimeter road around to the terminal or cell lot.
You can also access the North Perimeter road from Washington Street, but once you are on the perimeter road, there are a ton of stop signs.
I think they’re talking about the exit/entry lanes that are at the northern and southern edges of I-70 outside of I-465.
The issue is you can’t be “westbound on 70 toward the airport” if 70 is closed. You can only get there from 465 and take the exit to 70; SB and NB 465-to-70 ramps merge into those entry/exit lanes.
And if you’re downtown going to the airport, the best way will be Kentucky to Raymond to Sam Jones.
Between 465 and Ronald Regan there are inner and outer lanes in both directions, separated from each other by concrete barriers. The collector lanes are those outer lanes. When coming off 465 onto westbound I-70 the ramps dump you into the collector lanes. There are few openings in the barriers to merge into the through lanes for I-70, otherwise you stay in the collector lanes for the airport or Ronald Regan/Ameriplex exit.
Going around the southside is 50% shorter!
I agree Steve R. The south side is shorter.
Not any more. Even with “lighter than usual” COVID19 traffic, the south leg of 465 is not pretty right now because of the I-70 closure. Heaven help us after the state more fully reopens during the westside phase of closure.
Forgot to mention that those routes above are the ones recommended by the Airport Authority the last time INDOT had to close I-70 to remove a big box sign.