INDIANAPOLIS – It’s a day decades in the making.
On Tuesday, the I-69 and I-465 interchange will open on the southwest side of Indianapolis. It’s the sixth and final section of the I-69 extension between Evansville and Indianapolis.
Crews broke ground on the I-69 extension in 2008 in southwestern Indiana, but the dream of an interstate connecting Evansville to Indianapolis spanned decades.
Gov. Eric Holcomb invited former governors Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence to speak during a Tuesday event commemorating the opening. All three served as governor as construction on the I-69 extension progressed.
Work on the final section began in 2022 as part of the Indiana Department of Transportation’s I-69 Finish Line project, which aimed to upgrade 26 miles of State Road 37 to interstate standards through Morgan, Johnson and Marion counties.
It involved the construction of overpasses and underpasses, local access road connections and interstate access points throughout the corridor.
The interchange includes two flyover ramps connecting I-69 and I-465 just west of the existing SR 37/Harding Street interchange. South of I-465, the new I-69 diverts from the current path of SR 37 north of Edgewood Avenue.
SR 37, north of SR 144, will officially become I-69 once the interchange opens.
The project also involved the reconfiguration of I-465, additional lanes, new or rebuilt bridges, new lighting, signs, landscaping and noise barriers.
According to INDOT, I-69 Finish Line features:
- More than 26 miles of new interstate
- More than 35 new lane miles of local access roads
- 39 new bridges and 35 rebuilt/replaced bridges
- The elimination of 14 traffic signals
- More than 3 million square yards of new pavement
- An 11-minute reduction in travel time from Indianapolis to Martinsville
While the interchange is opening, the work is far from done. Drivers will see increased construction activity in the area, and work will continue around the interchange through the end of this year.
Once construction is complete, I-69 will run continuously from the Canadian border to Evansville. It will eventually go all the way to the Mexican border.
