$1B in contracts have been awarded for the final stretch of the I-69 project
INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — The state has awarded two contracts totaling more than $1 billion to complete the last stretch of the long-awaited Interstate 69 construction project from Martinsville to Indianapolis.
The 27-mile stretch will be converted from State Road 37 to I-69 and connect to I-465. It is the last of six sections of the 142-mile I-69 corridor connecting Evansville and Indianapolis.
While multiple interstate overpasses and new local access roads were built in 2020, mainline interstate construction begins this month.
“Completing I-69 in Indiana has been decades in the making with a number of historic milestones achieved in the last 15 years, and today’s announcement of the entire final section moving to construction ranks as one of the most rewarding,” said Governor Eric Holcomb. “Building this final I-69 section will fully deliver on a vision to better connect our state and further strengthen Indiana’s position as the Crossroads of America.”
The Indiana Department of Transportation awarded one of the contracts to a Reith Riley/Crider and Crider joint venture for $345 million. The contract will construct I-69 from Morgan Street in Morgan County to Fairview Road in Johnson County.
The other contract was awarded to a Walsh Construction and Milestone Contractors joint venture for $728 million. The firms will design and construct I-69 from Fairview Road in Johnson County to I-465 in Indianapolis.
The project includes the construction of a new interchange, the addition of new lanes and makes improvements on I-465 between I-65 and I-70 on Indianapolis’ southwest side.
“Once complete, I-69 will make travel between Southwest Indiana and Indianapolis safer and more efficient,” said INDOT Commissioner Joe McGuinness. “By better connecting people and commerce within our state and beyond our borders, I-69 is enhancing Indiana’s economic competitiveness and positioning the Hoosier State for continued growth and job creation in the decades ahead.”
This phase of the project includes the construction of 39 new bridges, 35 lanes of local access roads and the removal of 14 traffic lights between the two cities.
I-69 Finish Line is expected to open to traffic by the end of 2024.