INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — Warmer weather means construction season is on the horizon. On Wednesday, INDOT gave us a first look at what the next few months have in store.
In Marion County, every inch of I-465 will have some work done and parts of it will be closed for days at a time. Crews will also be doing work on I-65.
You may remember that parts of I-465 on the southwest side of town were shut down for a couple weeks at a time last year while crews worked.
I-465 Southeast side closure
This year, crews will be doing a similar project on the southeast side of I-465, between I-65 and I-70. The closures are projected to last for 15 days at a time.
Crews will work on the northbound lanes first, between August 9 and 24. Then they'll take care of the southbound lanes between September 6 and 21.
They'll be doing work on bridges, as well as filling potholes and smoothing out pavement.
INDOT officials say they know this is an inconvenience, but these temporary closures help keep everyone safe.
"Last year, we had 15 people killed in work zones and only a couple of those were construction workers," said Mallory Duncan, who is the INDOT media relations director. "The others were drivers and passengers in vehicles that were going through work zones and something happened. We want to keep everyone safe on the roads."
South Split construction
Another significant project will be on I-65 and I-70 on the south side.
It will start at the south split and go to the White River area on the west side and about to Southport on I-65.
Crews will start working on that project this month and continue through about August 15.
A lot of that work will be done on nights and weekends.
There will also be days when the interstate will be closed for 21 hours, reopening just for the rush hour (6 - 9 a.m. for the northbound routes and 3 - 6 p.m. for the southbound routes) before closing again so crews can work safely. Only one side will be closed at a time, but the dates for those closures haven't been set.
Northeast side construction
Crews will work on the northeast side of I-465, between Meridian Street and I-70, between April and October.
That will be done during nights and weekends. At times, there will be a "zipper wall," which can close one, two or more lanes at a time, as crews need to work on them.
There will also be work done on I-69 between I-465 and close to Fishers during that time.
Northwest side construction
Other crews will be working on the northwest side of I-465, between I-65 on the northeast side and Meridian Street exit. This will also be done on nights and weekends between April and October.
Crews will also close I-65 between I-865 and I-465 to do work. That will happen in the southbound lanes between June 14 and July 1 and in the northbound lanes between July 12 and July 29.
Workers will also use crossovers on I-865 between I-65 and I-465 for a few weeks. That's expected to happen between July 31 and August 29 for the westbound lanes and between September 6 and October 15 for the eastbound lanes.
INDOT crews will be using half a million tons of asphalt as they work this construction season.
Stay tuned to WTHR for updates on detours through the summer.
Below are the complete maps of the INDOT construction plan: