I-69 takes next step forward
by Eric Bradner
Evansville Courier and Press on Wednesday, July 21, 2010INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Transportation broke ground Wednesday on another segment of the Interstate 69 extension from Indianapolis to Evansville.
The invitation-only ceremony was held at the Daviess County Municipal Airport on County Road 250 East near Washington, Ind. It means construction is under way on two of the six sections into which INDOT has divided the 142-mile project.
The $58.5 million contract to build the first three miles of the section went to T.J. Lambrecht Construction and F.H. Paschen. When the section is complete, it will extend from the Washington area to the Crane warfare center.
The first of the six sections, the closest to Evansville, is nearing completion. Section two pushes north near the Washington area, and section three, for which ground was broken Wednesday, stretches to Crane.
The planning work on those sections has been completed, and the Federal Highway Administration has approved the final environmental impact statements.
Construction ahead of schedule
Gov. Mitch Daniels has said he expects those sections to be open for motorists by the end of 2012.
That’s three years ahead of the original plans.
Planning is under way for the fourth section, which will reach from Crane to Bloomington, and Daniels says he expects that segment to be completed by the end of 2014.
“This is an aggressive schedule, but we are confident we will accomplish Gov. Daniels’ timeline,” said INDOT Commissioner Michael B. Cline.
The timetable has been accelerated because as the recession has reduced the amount of road construction being done, contractors have submitted lower bids to secure jobs. Daniels has said Indiana should take advantage of those lower road-building prices.
