INDIANAPOLIS -- The closure of lanes of I-465 on Indy’s southeast side has been predictably causing some commuter chaos.
But motorists -- some relief (with emphasis on the word some) is on the way.
The southbound lanes of the 17.63-mile stretch between I-70 and I-65 were shut down on May 31. INDOT told FOX59/CBS4 that this stretch of highway has some of the oldest concrete in the entire 465.
“Roads also have a lifespan. It just depends on the weight that is on the roads like 465. We have to make sure that we’re doing this maintenance work to extend that lifespan,” said INDOT spokesperson Kyleigh Cramer.
The work largely addresses two areas, joint repair or fixing the seams between concrete slabs which is often where weak spots and deterioration develop. There is also patching where potholes have dug in.
The patching effort often goes two feet and deeper, and the surface area where new concrete is being poured on the southbound lanes would equal three-and-a-half football fields including end zones.
Fortunately, the weather has cooperated.
Cramer said conditions have been “absolutely perfect.” Crews have been working around the clock and on weekends.
Still, losing access to half a highway has been the source of plenty of social media grumbling.
On X, Ashton posted, “It takes nearly 2 hrs to make a 40 min drive sometimes.”
Destiny on Facebook said the shutdown lanes are “why I’m late to work every day.”
Michael chimed in on X, “It’s a nightmare.”
Well, this part of the nightmare has an end in sight.
“We are re-opening southbound 465 between I-65 and I-70, back open to the public next week,” said Cramer.
The target date for reopening the southbound lanes is Friday, June 21.
After that, there will be a three-week pause in construction for the section of 465.
But three weeks later on July 12, the northbound lanes will be closed to begin the repair work on the interstate between I-65 and I-70. That work is slated, and the delays associated with it are scheduled to last three weeks.