Final I-69 Section Rolls On
(Image courtesy of INDOT)
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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 has announced the next stage of the planned final section of the I-69 extension. INDOT says the Tier 2 Draft Environmental Impact Statement identifies details of the preferred 26-mile route, including 10 exit and 16 overpass and underpass locations and types.
Last March, INDOT announced its recommended Martinsville to Indianapolis route, which would involve upgrades to State Route 37. The draft EIS examines potential impacts and the footprint of Section 6. According to the study, the preferred route would cost approximately $1.5 billion and assumes construction would begin in 2020 and end in 2026.
INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuiness says "this is an important milestone for an important project, and it couldn’t have been accomplished without the significant amount of public input we received from hundreds of citizens, elected officials and civic organizations along the corridor,” said Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Joe McGuiness. “This draft study moves us closer to what’s been talked about for so, so long – finishing I-69 and having a free flow of traffic from Evansville to Indianapolis.”
Section 5 of the project, which will connect Bloomington to Martinsville, is currently under construction. After some delays, INDOT says It is scheduled to be complete in 2018. The department will take public feedback on the draft EIS through May 8. It will refine the preferred alternative and says the Federal Highway Administration will issue a joint final EIS and Record of Decision for the final section in the first quarter of next year.
Public meetings are scheduled for April 6 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis and April 10 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Martinsville High School.
You can connect to full detail of the draft EIS by clicking here. You can connect to more public information on the project by clicking here.