When did construction on I-69 begin?
12827913#57
The original plan (in a DEIS prepared by INDOT in 2004, but later dropped) was for I-69 to leave the now-former I-164 alignment somewhere just east of Green River Road (exit 3) and head south (instead of turning west with I-164) for approximately before crossing the Ohio at a point near the mouth of the Green River. This portion of the route had not then been funded, as construction of the new Ohio River crossing and its approaches in both states was expected to cost approximately $800 million. Indiana and Kentucky officials had said construction on the new Ohio River Bridge would not begin until at least 2020, after two new crossings near Louisville were completed. With Indiana then preparing to break ground on SIU 3, Kentucky officials indicated that collecting tolls might be the only feasible option for completing the I-69 bridge, as traditional federal and state funding for such projects were drying up. , neither Kentucky nor Indiana officials had yet come up with the money to plan and construct this I-69 bridge.
Interstate 69 in Indiana
12827913#61
Environmentalists claimed the construction of I-69 would lead to the destruction of of forest and more than of wetlands. The route selected passes through the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge but on a corridor that the federal government purposely did not acquire for the refuge. This was because of an agreement with the state not to dispute the passage of a highway on this corridor. Environmental groups then filed suit in federal court on October 2, 2006, to block further study and construction of the route, but the lawsuit was dismissed by U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton on December 12, 2007, clearing the way for construction to begin in 2008. Opponents had considered appealing Judge Hamilton's ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (which could have possibly sent the case to the Supreme Court of the United States), but they ultimately abandoned further legal challenges to the proposed route. Instead, opponents tried to block construction through the legislative process, when Democrats in the Indiana House of Representatives stripped funding for the I-69 extension in their version of the 2008 two-year state budget. Money for I-69 was restored after budget negotiations with the Republican-controlled Indiana Senate.
Interstate 69 in Indiana
12827913#46
On December 12, 2007, the FHWA issued its ROD giving final federal approval for construction to begin on the section between I-64/I-164 and SR 64 near Oakland City. INDOT awarded the first SIU 3 construction contract to Gohmann Asphalt and Construction Company of Sellersburg, Indiana, on February 6, 2008. This contract, completed on May 31, 2008, included the removal of buildings and vegetation from the I-69 right-of-way between I-64 and SR 68. Gohmann also won the construction contract for the first from I-64 to SR 68 with a $25 million bid. Construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony in Evansville on July 16, 2008. INDOT built this first section of the extension of I-69 using the design-build method.
Interstate 69 in Indiana
12827913#22
On October 24, 2007, INDOT announced a $600 million plan to reconstruct the I-69/I-465 interchange on the northeast side of Indianapolis that included the widening of about of I-69, I-465, and Binford Boulevard. Environmental studies and design work were subsequently undertaken, and construction on the I-69 portion of the project was initially expected to begin in 2012. However, that portion of the plan was later severely scaled back, with the I-69/I-465/Binford Boulevard interchange still awaiting most of the planned major improvements.
Interstate 69 in Indiana
48037616#22
Environmental groups and the city of Bloomington have long protested the completion of Interstate 69 through southwest Indiana, and have long favored an alternative route for I-69 that follows I-70 and US-41 through Terre Haute and Vincennes. Their opposition has pitted them against residents in the southwest corner of the state and the cities of Evansville, Petersburg and Washington, which have long supported construction of the highway. Opponents had held up construction of I-69 through southwest Indiana for 40 years through lawsuits, legislative maneuvering, and acts of vandalism. Supporters of the highway have accused opponents of attempting to isolate the southwest corner of Indiana from the remainder of the state with their efforts to block I-69 construction. Ultimately, construction on I-69 began in 2008, and completed between Evansville and Bloomington in December 2015. and construction is underway to upgrade SR 37 to Interstate standards on the Bloomington-Martinsville section was completed in October 2018. The remaining section of I-69 from Martinsville to I-465 on the south side of Indianapolis is scheduled for completion by the end of 2024.
Highway revolts in the United States
1440570#9
Construction began in 1988, with the first section built between I-69 and Lafayette Center Road. In June 1989, the US 24 bypass received the I-469 designation. A temporary halt to construction occurred in 1991 when crews unearthed a lock that was once used in the Wabash and Erie Canal while constructing the interchange with US 24 east of New Haven. Upon the highway's completion in 1995, its construction was the most expensive in Allen County's history, with a cost of $207 million. In 1998, US 24 and US 30 were rerouted onto I-69 and I-469. Coliseum Boulevard was to be decommissioned, but due to a lack of local funds to maintain it, INDOT recommissioned that route as SR 930. In 2005, I-469 was given the name Ronald Reagan Expressway, in honor of the former United States president.
Interstate 469
12850656#5
The Final Environmental Impact Statement on SIU 13 was completed in April 2006, and the Federal Highway Administration issued a Record of Decision approving the FEIS on May 25, 2006. This segment is currently in the final design phase, with construction expected to cost $784 million. Arkansas further divides SIU 13 into several smaller segments. Construction on the first leg of SIU-13, the eastern leg of the Monticello Bypass between US-425 and US-278 east of Monticello, began in November 2011. The first two lanes of the Monticello Bypass (initially signed as US-278 Bypass) are scheduled to open to traffic on October 11, 2018. In the 2013-2016 STIP, AHTD plans start constructing the western section of the Monticello Bypass from US-425 to US-278 east of Wilmar, including the planned I-69/I-530 interchange in 2017. Additionally, Arkansas submitted a $25 million FASTLane grant application to the Federal Highway Administration in May 2016 to continue design and right-of-way acquisition for the section of I-69 between Monticello and McGehee. In November 2016, AHTD submitted a revision to its FASTLANE grant application requesting additional funds to include construction of the McGehee to Monticello section. According to the 2019-2021 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, $69 million is planned in Fiscal Year 2022 to begin construction on two lanes of the Monticello-McGhee section, plus an additional $4.9 million allocated in FY-2019 to continue design and right-of-way acquisition for the western section of the Monticello Bypass.
Interstate 69 in Arkansas
12827913#44
On October 3, 2006, protest groups, citing environmental concerns, along with six individuals who live along the I-69 corridor, filed a lawsuit in federal court, alleging that state and federal agencies rigged environmental studies and violated several federal laws in the selection of a new-terrain route for I-69. They further pressed the court for a summary ruling directing the FHWA and INDOT to route I-69 over I-70 and US 41. Judge David Hamilton disagreed, and on December 10, 2007, he issued a 58-page ruling upholding the selected route for I-69 and the Tier 1 ROD. His ruling did, however, leave open the possibility that the FHWA and INDOT could be forced to reconsider some or all of the previously-rejected Tier 1 alternatives if there are new significant findings during the Tier 2 studies that were absent from the Tier 1 EIS. Barring any new major findings in the Tier 2 studies, Judge Hamilton's ruling paved the way for construction to begin on the southernmost segment.
Interstate 69 in Indiana
12850650#16
The Pennyrile Parkway, Western Kentucky Parkway, and Purchase Parkway were all originally built as toll roads when they opened in the 1960s. As the parkways' construction bonds were paid off, the tolls were removed; the Western Kentucky Parkway became a freeway in 1987, and the other two roads became free in 1992. To fund over $700 million to upgrade substandard segments of the parkways and fund a new $800 million Ohio River crossing for I-69, Kentucky transportation officials had previously considered reinstating tolls on the parkway segments over which I-69 is routed, but ultimately opted to keep I-69 toll-free.
Interstate 69 in Kentucky
12827913#50
Construction on Section 5 to upgrade SR 37 through Bloomington to Martinsville to Interstate standards at a cost of $425 million was completed October 31, 2018. Under a public-private partnership, I-69 Development Partners was originally responsible for construction of the section. However, the partnership experienced multiple delays from the original completion date of October 2016 due to financial and other difficulties, including several work stoppages by subcontractors who cited a lack of being paid in the agreed to manner by the private group. On August 14, 2017, the State of Indiana terminated the P3 arrangement with I-69 Development Partners, citing default on the contract terms and construction being delayed two years from the initial October 2016 completion deadline. INDOT assumed direct oversight of Section 5 construction, and contracted with Walsh Construction to serve as the prime contractor for the remainder of the project. Walsh is overseeing several subcontractors retained from the I-69 Development Partners P3 arrangement that are performing the earthworks, structure erection, paving, and other work to complete Section 5. As work wrapped up, the FHWA approved the designation of the highway as Interstate 69 up to Martinsville on September 18, 2018 and signage was installed.
Interstate 69 in Indiana