ANDERSON, Ind. -- A $79 million project, years in the making, will soon be underway to improve I-69 in Madison and Delaware counties.
It's no secret to anyone who frequents I-69 in Anderson that it is quite the bumpy ride, but the good news is that soon there will be a light to the end of this very turbulent tunnel.
"We actually popped two tires the other day, going through a pothole,” said Sara James, who lives in Anderson.
James has lived in Anderson for only five months, but has come to learn the Interstate is in pretty rough shape.
"I’ve actually seen cars as I'm going by that the tires just go sideways, just due to a pothole,” James said.
Lucky for James and the other thousands of people who travel the route on a daily basis, INDOT has a solution to the problem.
"If you're driving down I-69, you can tell, it's a bumpy ride," said Lamar Holliday, a spokesperson for INDOT. "And so we knew that the deterioration of the roadway and some of our bridges really prompted that this project needed to be done.”
The project will not only repave roughly 6.4 miles of the interstate (from State Road 38 to State Road 32), but will also widen the travel lanes for 8.4 miles (from State Road 38 to State Road 9).
Right now, there are two lanes in each direction, and at the project’s completion, there will be three lanes in each direction. This means there will be six total, across the highway, which will allow for a higher volume of traffic.
Holliday said there will be some closures while construction is underway.
“There will be two closures on some of the local roads. We’ll have additional information once we get a chance to meet with the contractor to figure out what the detours are, and we will have additional information once we get that,” said Holliday.
Contractors for the project are Reith-Riley and Walsh Construction, who are teaming up to make the job get done more quickly.
The project is expected to begin within the next couple of weeks, and be completed by the end of 2020.
A project which is an answer from INDOT to give the people exactly what they want.
“We’ve had phone calls from people in this area that have expressed that they want this project done,” said Holliday.
Holliday said INDOT will soon host a public meeting (date and location are still being ironed out) to make sure everyone is aware of the work that will be done.
“Love to have a smooth ride,” said James.
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