Road Projects Advancing
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowSeveral big road construction projects are moving forward. The Indiana Department of Transportation is beginning to clear trees along State Road 37 in Monroe County, which will become part of Interstate 69. INDOT has also announced details of bridge projects in Jefferson, Scott, Morgan and Ohio counties. January 30, 2014
News Release
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) contractors will begin mobilizing along State Road 37 this week, weather permitting, to clear trees in preparation for I-69 Section 5 construction. Last month, INDOT awarded a $2 million contract to Crider & Crider Inc. of Bloomington.
Drivers should watch for short-term lane closures and reduced work zone speed limits along S.R. 37 this winter. Crews will begin work at Beanblossom Creek Overflow, near the partial interchange at Walnut Street, and work south through Bloomington.
Tree removal is the next step in upgrading 21 miles of the existing, four-lane S.R. 37 between Bloomington and Martinsville to interstate standards, which will begin construction later this year. Under agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other regulatory agencies, INDOT is not cutting trees after March 31 to minimize impacts to the endangered Indiana bat during its roosting season.
Any person or entity offering to cut trees within the restricted time frames is not working for or on behalf of INDOT. INDOT encourages nearby landowners and loggers to follow the tree cutting restriction as well. Timber buyers and agents must be licensed under Indiana law, and must pay landowners for timber harvested. Landowners may verify that a timber buyer or logging company is properly licensed by searching the Indiana Online Licensing website at http://mylicense.in.gov.
In addition to the 4,100 acres preserved for I-69 Section 4, INDOT is purchasing land or preservation easements for 1,100 acres to mitigate the environmental impacts of I-69 Section 5. More than 800 acres of established forest will be preserved in perpetuity and 300 acres of new trees will be planted in areas where additional bat habitat is needed.
The new Interstate 69 between Evansville and Indianapolis is a key component to the future economic vitality of southwestern Indiana, and will connect an entire region with improved access to jobs, education and healthcare. The 142-mile I-69 corridor was divided into six independent sections in the Tier 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement, which was approved with a Record of Decision in March 2004.
The first three sections opened for business in November 2012 – under budget and years ahead of schedule – and save motorists more than 30 minutes travel time in the 67 miles between Evansville and Crane. Construction is underway on all 27 miles of I-69 Section 4 between Crane and Bloomington, which is expected to open to traffic in phases during late 2014 and early 2015. Private sector proposals to design, build, finance, operate and maintain I-69 Section 5 are due in late January.
January 30, 2014
News Release
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation has awarded a District Bridge Project contract to Dave O'Mara Contractor of North Vernon to replace the State Road 7 bridge over Camp Creek in northern Jefferson County. O'Mara's $684,147 bid was the lowest of four submitted at last month's letting.
INDOT made significant temporary repairs to the S.R. 7 bridge in 2010 in anticipation of removing and replacing it in 2014.
O'Mara's contract allows a 120-day road closure while crews build the new 67 1/2-foot, single-span concrete box beam structure at Dupont, north of Main Street. The contract completion date is November 28, 2014.
January 30, 2014
News Release
SCOTTSBURG, Ind. – Indiana Department of Transportation officials meet with Gohmann Construction personnel this morning at Southeast District offices at Seymour to go over plans for replacing two State Road 3 bridges south of S.R. 56 in Scott County. The Clarksville contractor's $1,755,500 bid was the lowest of seven submitted in response to last month’s project letting.
The S.R. 3 bridge over Hog Creek is located less than two-tenths of a mile south of S.R. 56. It will be a 122-foot single-span concrete bulb-T beam structure.
The bridge over Stucker Creek – just 2000 feet south of the Hog Creek bridge – will be of similar construction, 105 feet in length.
Both have been designed to accommodate two 12-foot lanes with shoulders.
Removal of existing structures and simultaneous construction of the two new S.R. 3 bridges will require closing the north-south highway for up to 150 days. Gohmann anticipates starting work on the project in early May.
January 30, 2014
News Release
MORGANTOWN, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation has awarded a District Bridge Project contract to Duncan Roberson, Inc. to remove and replace the State Road 252 bridge over Long Run Creek on the west edge of Morgantown. The Franklin-based contractor's $940,290 bid was the lowest of six submitted in response to last month's letting.
The new 3-span concrete structure will be 116 feet in length and wide enough to accommodate two 12-foot lanes with shoulders. It replaces a 2-span concrete girder structure built in 1937.
Duncan Roberson will construct one half of the S.R. 252 bridge at a time – starting with the south half. This will allow signalized traffic access through the construction site one-lane-at-a-time. The contract completion date is November 20, 2014.
January 30, 2014
News Release
RISING SUN, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation is fitting several large steel plates for installation atop the State Road 156 bridge deck at the structure crossing Grants Creek in southeast Ohio County. Once installed, the S.R. 156 bridge – located at North Landing – will reopen to traffic.
It has been closed since January 12 when a piece of concrete surface gave way.
INDOT is currently in the process of drilling holes in inch-thick steel plates through which the two 8 X 12-foot metal sheets can be bolted to the existing bridge deck. A special treatment is being applied to driving surfaces on the plates to bolster traction.
Thursday – weather permitting – the two plates will be taken to the bridge site and installed. Crews hope to have the Grants Creek structure open to the motoring public before the end of the day Friday.
INDOT officials caution motorists to drive slowly when crossing the bridge. Installing of the steel plates will result in a rougher driving surface.
These repairs at the S.R. 156 bridge are a temporary “fix.” They are being made in anticipation of scheduled construction that will rebuild the bridge's superstructure.
Source: The Indiana Department of Transportation