INDIANAPOLIS — If you drive on Indianapolis’ northeast side, you know what a headache it can be trying to get around the I-465/I-69 corridor. Starting in the spring, that area will undergo not months, but several years of major construction work to improve traffic flow and help make driving in the area smoother and safer with a project called Clear Path 465.
It’s a $430 million project that is fully funded with a mix of traditional state highway and federal infrastructure dollars. The state also received a $70 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation in 2021 to help offset some of the costs.
It will not only change the landscape of the busy corridor, but the Indiana Department of Transportation tells FOX59 it will help improve traffic going forward.
“This is an area that has seen tremendous growth over the last 25 years,” said Scott Manning, Deputy Director with INDOT.
If you drive the interchange during the morning or a night on a regular basis, the corridor is a very high traffic area and INDOT says it’s no surprise.
Manning said the interchange is Indiana’s busiest with nearly 100,000 drivers traveling through the area every day.
“Because of that, you see a lot of bottlenecks, a lot of slow-downs. A tremendous amount of congestion that can sometimes lead to a high risk of crashes,” Manning said.
Sky59 flew above the northeast side corridor to see the traffic patterns and the scope of the project. It’s so massive, it will start from Binford Boulevard all the way to 82nd Street. INDOT says they will be working on the project in two contracts.
The first phase will be rebuilding and adding lanes to I-465 from the White River to Fall Creek Parkway. The second phase expected to start in 2023 will reconfigure the interchange at I-465 and I-69. It will include added travel and ramp lanes, 14 new bridges, two rehab bridges, and several interchange modifications.
“This project will be about adding capacity to both 465 and 69 in this area,” said Manning.
Over the course of several months, a couple of businesses, including the Carvana, closed to make way for the project. The state also acquired a hotel and some empty buildings that weren’t occupied, for the land.
“This will be a complete redesign of this very busy interchange that will allow traffic to move much more efficiently,” Manning said.
INDOT says there certainly will be some impacts for motorists who use the I-465/I-69 Corridor, but unlike the North Split downtown, drivers won’t have to find alternate ways of getting around during the project. INDOT says the interstate will be fully open throughout the project with some ramp closures from time to time and lane restrictions on weekends and overnights.
Preliminary Project Schedule
- Late Summer / Early Fall 2018 – Receive Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Operational Acceptance
- Summer 2018 – Start Kitchen Table Meetings with Adjacent Property Owners
- Fall 2018 – Start Transportation Management Plan (TMP) to discuss Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) with Stakeholders
- Late fall 2019 – Publish Draft Environmental Assessment (EA), hold public hearing
- Early 2020 – Publish Final EA
- Anticipated project construction: 2022-2024
