Some residents say a newly released Indiana Department of Transportation traffic analysis doesn’t address the issue they’re most concerned about—the quality-of-life impact that interstates 65 and 70 have on their downtown neighborhoods.
INDOT says it hasn’t chosen a course of action yet, but the study strongly indicates some of the options proposed by opponents of its original plans are not feasible.
State officials have awarded a $79 million contract to widen a section of Interstate 69 to six lanes northeast of Indianapolis.
Officials say the new lanes be built in the highway’s median, which means no additional land purchases are needed.
The plan intends to use $200 billion in federal money to leverage more than $1 trillion on local and state tax dollars to fix America’s roads, highways, ports and airports.
Traffic downtown and the northwest side will be affected by the closures, which are expected to last about 35 days in late spring.
Experts suggest using beet juice, molasses, and even beer or cheese waste to make slick roads safer, in an effort to stop polluting fresh water sources with salty runoff.
Mayor Joe Hogsett is echoing the chorus of community leaders and downtown residents expressing concern with the state’s $250 million plan to revamp the I-70/I-65 interchange.
The chamber and other coalition members favor options for the interstate project that would be more neighborhood-friendly.
As INDOT moves forward with plans for a major I-65/I-70 construction project, a coalition of residents with concerns about the impact on surrounding neighborhoods is also gaining steam.
The feasibility study on a proposed statewide tolling program estimates the money would be generated from tolls on six major highways.
Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman Nathan Riggs said preliminary plans for the project are being developed and a contractor should be picked next spring.
Gov. Eric Holcomb says he has directed the Indiana Department of Transportation not to include the Interstate 465 loop around Indianapolis in a strategic plan for tolling along certain Indiana interstate highways.
The tax increase was passed by the Republican-dominated Legislature and signed into law by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb this spring to raise money for infrastructure spending.
The Carmel City Council still has to approve the agreement, which would allow the suburb to continue its plan to construct roundabouts along 96th Street at three intersections.
A state official says construction work has accelerated on a long-delayed section of Indiana's Interstate 69 extension since a private developer was kicked off the project.
State officials say the interchange on the northeast outskirts of downtown is 50 years old and reaching the end of its useful life. But project details are still fuzzy.
The Indiana Finance Authority on Monday completed a transaction to terminate the state's contractual relationship with I-69 Development Partners.
Gov. Eric Holcomb included $554.3 million in state funding for the Martinsville-to-Indianapolis stretch of I-69, known as Section 6, in his recently released $5.1 billion Next Level Roads Plan.
The Carmel Board of Public Works approved the agreement with a Goshen-based construction contractor at a meeting Wednesday morning.
