14 News, The Tri-State's News and Weather Leader-INDOT has plan to move I-69 along

INDOT has plan to move I-69 along

By Brandon Bartlett - bio | email | Twitter
Posted by Sarah Harlan - email

EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) - Governor Mitch Daniels said I-69 will be completed three years ahead of schedule and it would be built under budget.

Wednesday night, INDOT has a plan in place to make that happen.

When Governor Daniels made his announcement last month in Evansville, INDOT didn't have a firm plan on how I-69 would be built, and built fast and cheap.

Now, sections from Evansville to Crane, Indiana are on the fast track thanks to the help of a consulting firm.

"This is something a little different than what INDOT normally does," INDOT spokesperson Cher Goodwin said. "It's a practice that many states have used when they have projects they want to accelerate and accomplish, so they're kind of heading this and pushing this forward."

In going forward, some changes have been made.

14 news found that means two planned interchanges, one in northern Pike County and another in Southern Daviess County, have been put on hold for now.

"We'll have the normal Petersberg interchange at the 56/61 interchange of I-69 as well as we'll have the interchange at U.S. 50 there in Washington, but right now the numbers are not showing that traffic will utilize an interchange at either of those locations," Goodwin said.

In order to build this road faster and cheaper, INDOT is using what the governor calls "some creative methods."

In the past when building interstates, INDOT has used a 35 year outlook, meaning no major improvements would have to be made until decades later.

Now with I-69, INDOT will use a 15 year outlook.

That plan calls for the use of staged paving. Goodwin said that's not a new concept but one that will save money.

A lesser amount of concrete asphalt is used at first and another layer applied in about 15 years.

Another way the state will save money is to make the medians more narrow: 60 feet instead of 84, and use steel cable instead of concrete.

"That reduces the amount of right of way that needs to be purchased and reduce the amount of environmental impact that will also take place," Goodwin said.

The project is expected to cost around $700 million.

The first three sections are expected to be completed by 2012.

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