FISHERS, Ind. —
The warm spring has meant an early start for construction zone restrictions that have led to long traffic backups in central Indiana’s most congested stretch of highway.
Crews have reduced Interstate 69’s northbound exit ramp to 116th Street in Fishers to one lane. That’s caused long traffic lines from the bustling northern Indianapolis suburb toward I-465 about five miles south, The Indianapolis Star reported Monday.
Lane restrictions had been in place only overnight, but with work ahead of schedule the project’s contractor decided there was no reason to wait until the planned June start of the next phase, said Nathan Riggs, a spokesman for the Indiana Department of Transportation.
“It just made sense to them. They had the resources on site and had the means of getting more work done now,” Riggs said. “It didn’t make sense to wait, basically.”
Traffic jams have long plagued the section of I-69 north of Indianapolis that averages 70,000 vehicles a day and the state has undertaken several projects in recent years to relieve the bottlenecks.
The current 116th Street interchange project is adding ramp lanes and wider shoulders and is expected to be finished by November. Work is planned on the southbound lanes next year.
Joseph Shelton said his commute from his office at Castleton Square Mall on the northeast side of Indianapolis to his home in Pendleton has gone from 25 minutes to about 45 minutes.
“Every day is terrible ever since they started construction,” Shelton said.
For Fishers resident Sarah Estell, who uses northbound I-69 every day, it’s “no pain, no gain.”
“I’m glad they are doing something ... but it’s still frustrating,” Estell said.
Riggs acknowledged that traffic will be congested this summer.
“But, certainly, before it wasn’t very good,” he said. “There’s no painless way to do this.”
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I-69 backups for central Indiana ramp project arrive early
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