Travel nightmare on I-65 begins June 15

What could be worse for drivers than Interstate 65 in the winter?

Try I-65 in the summer, fall and spring — for the next two to three years.

Big changes — and big construction headaches — are coming to a stretch of the interstate that passes through Lafayette, beginning Monday, June 15. Construction will continue into fall 2017.

Drivers should brace themselves for lane restrictions, ramp closures, narrower lanes, reduced speeds and longer travel times.

Wondering just what will be happening, and how bad it will get? Read on ...

What changes are coming?

Crews will widen I-65 from two lanes in each direction to three lanes in each direction. To do this, workers will place the two new lanes in the current median space and add a concrete barrier to replace the median. With this plan, the shoulder of the road won't have to be widened, although it will be reinforced during the first few weeks of the project so lanes can be temporarily shifted.

Where is it happening?

The project is divided into two stages. The first stage affects I-65 from 1 mile north of Indiana 26 to the Wabash River Bridge, or Indiana 25. This includes exits 172 through 175.

The second stage of the project affects the interstate from 1/2 mile south of Indiana 38 to 1 mile north of Indiana 26, or exits 168 to 172.

When is the construction happening?

Stage one of the project is scheduled to begin in June. Officials expect construction of the first stage to be complete by spring 2016, when stage two will start, INDOT communications director Debbie Calder said.

INDOT officials expect the entire project will be finished by November 2017. Construction will occur each year between about early April and the end of November, Calder said.

The first phase of stage one will last two weeks to a month and involves strengthening the road shoulders in order to shift the northbound and southbound lanes at the same time.

The second phase is the construction of the two lanes, one on each side in the median. This phase will last three to four months, with work occurring concurrently in northbound and southbound lanes.

The third phase is reconstruction of existing northbound lanes, which will take two to three months.

The fourth phase is the reconstruction of existing southbound lanes, which will also take two to three months.

After those phases are done for the first stage, work on the second stage of the project will begin, in much the same order.

Will any lanes be closed?

There will be nightly lane closures for four to five months during the first stage of construction. During that time, there will be two 12-foot lanes in each direction during the day and one 12-foot lane in each direction from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. That is standard size for interstate lanes, Calder said. Shoulders will be 4 feet on either side.

During the last two phases of the first stage, lanes will be reduced in size to 11 feet with 2-foot shoulders, again with one lane open in each direction at night and two lanes in each direction open during the day.

When the second stage of the construction begins, there will be nightly lane closures on the southern section of the project, again for several months.

Because of the narrower lanes, Calder said wider or heavier loads will be restricted during construction. She said when those drivers apply for a permit to carry a wider load, they will be advised they cannot use that section of I-65.

Will any exits be closed?

There will be ramp closures for periods of up to seven days per ramp. Calder said there will be advance notice and signs for drivers before a ramp is closed. Ramp closures won't begin until September or October, with northbound ramp closures occurring first for two to three months and southbound ramp closures occurring after that for two to three months.

Calder said no ramp closures will occur simultaneously.

Will the speed limit change?

Calder said the speed limit will be reduced to 55 mph through the construction zone, and speed will be further reduced to 45 mph in active worksites.

How bad will traffic backups be?

Based on current estimates of backups due to patching projects, Calder said when the one-lane restriction is first put in place, crews see about a 3-mile backup, but that improves during the overnight hours.

With this project, she said, the backups may look much the same.

As far as expected delays, the Journal & Courier consulted the Purdue University mathematics department to calculate how much extra time it would take to travel the distance of stage one at reduced speeds compared to the posted 70 mph speed limit.

At 70 mph, the 3-mile stretch between Indiana 25 and Indiana 26 takes about three minutes.

•At 45 mph, travel time would be extended by about 1 minute to 4 minutes.

•At 30 miles per hour, it would take about three extra minutes, or six minutes total.

•At 15 miles per hour, it would take about nine extra minutes, or 12 minutes altogether.

If there is an additional 3-mile backup, the amount of time to drive through the construction zone would double.

What if there's an accident?

If there's an accident during construction, Calder said still there will be room in most areas to move vehicles off the highway. If there's not room, all lanes of traffic might have to be shut down. She said INDOT officials have already met with area fire departments, Indiana State Police and Lafayette police to coordinate how traffic will flow in case of an accident.

Accident reports from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute show that between Indiana 25 and Indiana 26, there were 28 accidents in 2013 and 31 in 2014, with 11 injuries total. Between Indiana 26 and Indiana 38, there were 18 accidents in 2013 and 19 in 2014, with 22 injuries total and one fatality.

Are any detour routes planned?

At this point, Calder said INDOT does not have any detour routes listed. But she added that with four exits within Greater Lafayette, local drivers should be able to avoid the areas under construction if they desire.

Otherwise, she said INDOT suggests motorists allocate extra travel time.

To avoid construction between Indiana 25 and Indiana 26 during the first stage of the project, a local AAA official advised that drivers could take U.S. 52 and then connect with Indiana 43, which will take them back onto I-65 past the construction zone.

Drivers traveling northbound on I-65 who wish to avoid the entire construction area can take exit 168 onto Indiana 38, right onto Sagamore Parkway, turn left onto South Street, turn slightly right onto Columbia Street and then continue onto State Street, turn right on River Road and then get back onto I-65 at exit 178. There will also be construction on River Road until early July.

Drivers raveling southbound can do the reverse: Take exit 178 and travel south on Indiana 43, which will turn into River Road, then turn left onto State Street, continue onto South Street, turn right onto Sagamore Parkway, turn left on Indiana 38 and get back on I-65 at exit 168.

To avoid I-65 between Indiana 26 and Indiana 38 during the second stage of construction, the AAA official said drivers should take U.S. 52 to Lebanon, where U.S. 52 connects with I-65 again.

Are noise barriers being installed?

Neighborhoods along the planned construction route had previously protested a lack of sound barriers in INDOT's original construction plans. Now, four sound barriers or walls are slated for construction.

The first wall will run on the east side of I-65 just north of Indiana 26 and the Visit Lafayette-West Lafayette center, extending about 2,500 feet north. The second will be on the west side of I-65, opposite the location of the first barrier.

The third wall will be on the west side of I-65 north of Indiana 26 and north of the second wall. The last wall will be north of the third wall, extending to Eisenhower Road.

How much will this cost, and where did the money come from?

The project will cost $82.8 million. The money came from INDOT funds for its "Major Moves" projects.

What construction teams are working on the project?

Walsh Construction Co. will handle the project. Previous work this year including highway patching was completed by Rieth-Riley Construction Co.