INDOT Awards U.S. 31 Contract
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowTwo Hoosier companies will share a $141 million Indiana Department of Transportation contract. The project includes U.S. 31 interchange upgrades and four roundabouts in Hamilton County. Construction is expected to be complete in 2015. August 7, 2013
News Release
WESTFIELD, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has awarded a $141 million contract for The New U.S. 31 Hamilton County freeway upgrades between 96th and 136th streets to a joint venture between E & B Paving of Anderson and Gradex of Indianapolis. The contract includes U.S. 31 interchange improvements at I-465 and new roundabout interchanges at 106th, 116th, 131st and 136th streets.
The project to upgrade U.S. 31 to freeway standards will require temporary highway and local roadway closures, which will be scheduled sequentially and limited in duration to minimize inconvenience to residents, businesses and motorists. Complete closure of U.S. 31 between 136th Street and the Old Meridian Street ramp north of 116th Street will significantly expedite construction and is expected in 2015.
Contractors will provide a general schedule in the near future, but preliminary work could begin as early as this fall. All improvements are expected to be open to traffic by the end of 2015.
The New U.S. 31 Hamilton County is the first project to use new federal transportation legislation allowing up to 90 percent federal funding to be used for critical freight projects, an increase above the 80 percent maximum for non-interstate routes. An award for the final contract for The New U.S. 31 Hamilton County, which includes a new single-point urban interchange at State Road 32 in Westfield, is expected to be announced later this month.
Upgrading or bypassing congested sections of U.S. 31, when completed, are expected to cut a half hour off travel time between Indianapolis and South Bend. Upgrading the existing highway between I-465 and State Road 38 to interstate standards is the largest and most aggressive road project ever attempted in Hamilton County. The New U.S. 31 Hamilton County project is intended to reduce congestion, improve safety and provide continuity of commerce and regional travel for a U.S. highway that stretches from Michigan to Alabama. More information is on the Web at www.us31hamiltoncounty.IN.gov.
Source: The Indiana Department of Transportation