State Shuts Key Interstate Ramp From I-65 To I-70 For Bridge Work

INDIANAPOLIS – A temporary shutdown of the northbound Interstate 65 ramp to westbound Interstate 70 will begin Wednesday so workers can rehabilitate two ramp bridges that are more than 40 years old.

The ramp will be closed for roughly two months. Construction will include repairing the ramp bridges over Morris and Prospect streets. The top ramp bridge over southbound I-65 and east and westbound I-70 will also get a facelift.

The ramp is expected to reopen by the end of July. While closed, contractors will be rehabilitating and improving ramp conditions by:

• Rebuilding concrete bridge decks to ensure a smoother ride, while preventing future potholes and cracks.
• Replacing existing pin joints and adding more splices to connect bridge beams across long spans.
• Rebuilding the bridge abutments that support the bridge decks on each end.

INDOT officials opted to close the ramps instead of leaving a single lane open because they say “it’s safer for the motorist and the for the workers and makes for a better product at the end.”

INDOT traffic engineers also said that maintaining a single lane of traffic would create backups for miles.

“This is not a complete rebuild of the bridge, it’s a rehabilitation, but where we can, we’re integrating those elements to make the bridge more durable and more reliable over the long term,” said INDOT spokesman Will Wingfield.

Northbound I-65 to westbound I-70 traffic will detour onto I-465 west for the duration of the project. While the project will not be 24-hour construction, workers will have 8-10 hour shifts around the clock. Motorists should expect overnight and weekend traffic to fluctuate as well.

Katie Stancombe is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.