There was supposed to be stoplight-free drive from Bloomington to Martinsville by now. Instead, contract disputes and permit issues mean there'll be a construction zone into next year.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - A 21-mile section of an Interstate 69 project is nearly a year behind schedule.

The (Bloomington) Herald-Times reports that there was supposed to be stoplight-free drive from Bloomington to Martinsville by now. Instead, contract disputes and permit issues mean there'll be a construction zone into next year.

The company hired to design and build the section is called Isolux Corsan USA. Company officials say the delay is due to bad soil tests and permitting, blaming the Indiana Finance Authority for not getting the right federal permission. However, the finance authority says the company is at fault.

The project completion date has been changed from last October to June next year.