The southeast side of Indianapolis where I-465, I-70 and I-65 converge, is a heavily-traveled area that becomes a bottleneck during rush hour. To reduce congestion and improve traffic flow and safety, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) launched the I-65 Safety and Efficiency project in the spring of 2025.
The need for improvements along this stretch of road stems from current and projected congestion during peak hours, as well as pavement conditions.
Indiana DOT photo
"Traffic volume on I-65 had increased to the point where delays were occurring in the area on a daily basis," Sean Hendrickson, INDOT construction engineer told Construction Equipment Guide.
ADT numbers for this stretch of road range from 151,670 on I-65 Mainline north of Morris/Prospect to 104,750 on I-65 Mainline south of Morris/Prospect. Bridge work also is needed, based on the current conditions of the bridges and related pedestrian facilities.
Goals
The purposes of this project are to:
• Reduce corridor congestion and provide a roadway that meets the needs through design year 2045.
• Extend the life of the existing pavement by at least 10 years.
• Provide drainage features that will meet current Indiana Design Manual standards.
• Extend the service life of the bridges within the project corridor by at least 10 years.
• Provide a condition rating of at least seven out of nine, or good condition for rehabilitated bridges.
• Improve pedestrian facilities by meeting current Indiana Design Manual standards.
In order to accommodate the increased traffic volume, INDOT determined that this stretch of I-65 requires four lanes in each direction. Additional travel lanes should increase capacity and improve traffic flow. By improving traffic flow, especially during peak travel times, INDOT hopes to reduce crashes along the corridor, including rear-end crashes and crashes resulting from improper lane changes or failure to yield.
Patching and resurfacing I-65 should improve pavement and bridge conditions, minimizing the need for future repairs.
Indiana DOT photo
Reshaping Southside Corridor
Intended to reshape the 5-mi. stretch of I-65 from north of the I-465 interchange to just south of the I-65/I-70 overpass, the project will add a new travel lane in each direction between I-465 and the I-65/I-70 South Split, south of downtown Indianapolis, mainly using the existing shoulder. Most of the widening uses the existing inside shoulder, with the southern third of the project widening to the outside. When complete, there will be four travel lanes in each direction.
Crews added capacity utilizing the inside shoulder in 2025. In 2026, work will shift to the outside lanes of I-65.
Hendrickson said the project also will remove an abandoned railroad bridge south of Washington Street just north of Fletcher Avenue over I-65/I-70 and replace existing concrete pavement with continuously reinforced concrete pavement on the north end of the corridor, from just north of the Fletcher Avenue overpass to just south of the I-65/I-70 overpass.
"The continuously reinforced concrete pavement work was added to the contract in order to address the deteriorating concrete pavement that required regular maintenance in a challenging section of roadway to safely work on," said Hendrickson
The improvements are expected to extend the life of the existing pavement.
Additional work includes widening of three bridges; replacement of Hanna Avenue bridge; pavement patching and resurfacing; sidewalk improvements to improve connectivity and pedestrian safety and drainage improvements.
Indiana DOT photo
Bridges to be widened are located at Naomi Street, Pleasant Run and Morris/Prospect. Widening will allow the bridges to accommodate a fourth travel lane, while planned improvements will extend the life of all the bridges. Overlay work will extend the life of the other 18 bridges along the corridor.
The I-65 northbound bridge over Morris/Prospect is being rehabilitated and widened. The bridge superstructure will be replaced and new deck and beams will be installed. The Morris/Prospect bridge over I-65 also is being rehabilitated to accommodate 10-ft. sidewalks on both sides.
The Hanna Avenue bridge over I-65 will be replaced as part of the project, with the ability to accommodate a future pedestrian pathway.
The northbound bridges over Naomi Street and E. Pleasant Run (North and South) parkways will be widened.
The abandoned railroad bridge between Fletcher Avenue and Bates Street over I-65/I-70 is being removed. Work is expected to begin in spring 2026 and last one construction season.
Pavement is being replaced from just north of the Fletcher Avenue overpass to just south of the I-65/I-70 overpass. The closed ramp between Virginia Avenue and Calvary Street will be removed and upgraded. The storm sewer system is being replaced. Work is expected to begin in spring 2026 and last one construction season.
New sidewalks are being added throughout the project, with some sidewalk and curb replacement. Broken or cracked sidewalk panels are being replaced and sidewalks are being leveled where needed. Lighting is being updated. ADA updates will be completed throughout the corridor.
Indiana DOT photo
Contract Details
The project is letting as a single contract with three lead designation numbers that include:
• I-65 Safety and Efficiency Corridor Improvements
• I-65/I-70 Pavement Replacement
• Abandoned Railroad Bridge Removal
The contract was let in February of 2025. The majority of construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2026, with more minor work continuing to the contract completion date in June of 2027. Hendrickson said there is no provision for Incentive/Disincentive tied to the completion.
Two lanes of I-65 will remain open in each direction the majority of the time during construction.
The budget of roughly $113 million is funded through a combination of federal (National Highway Performance Program) and state funds.
Milestone is the primary general contractor and is self-performing all paving, bridge and concrete work. Subcontractors include Harmon Steel for all the steel work, RoadSafe for all the traffic marking and temporary traffic control work, Hoosier Companies for all sign and signal work and C-Tech for all the guardrail work.
Onsite Activity
Approximately 200 daily workers are joined onsite by a variety of equipment, including up to three paving trains (tack spray truck, asphalt transfer machine, asphalt paver, three rollers); multiple screed machines for concrete bridge decks and bridge deck overlays; slip-form machine to form median barrier wall; multiple cranes for placing bridge members and driving piles; and dozens of tri-axle trucks and concrete mixer trucks.
"On this contract, we used a spray-paver, which is a machine that combines the tack spray truck and asphalt paver into a single machine that applies tack to the lower asphalt surface and seconds later, applies the hot asphalt pavement in a single pass to create a stronger bond between asphalt," Hendrickson said. "Fortunately, they were able to perform the mainline widening between I-465 and the I-65/I-70 South Split without having to re-build the entire roadway, and with very minimal additional footprint being needed. This is due to the fact that the existing median shoulder was wide enough that an additional lane could be formed."
However, since shoulders are not built to the same standards as travel lanes, they did need to do a full reconstruction of the median lanes (the focus of the 2025 construction season).
"But we will only need to resurface the outer lanes to refresh their lifespan and minimally widen three existing bridges in order to accommodate the fourth travel lane."
"The key thing about Safety and Efficiency," Chase Schneider, INDOT major projects manager, told Construction Equipment Guide, "is that it's more than just an added travel lanes project. It is a project with tons of work with bridges, concrete medians, culverts, drainage, bridge widenings, bridge replacements, deck overlays and traffic signal modernizations. The contract represents a total retrofit for this crucial section of I-65. To accomplish all this work in our short two-year timeframe, we require large crews and specific equipment, with specialized personnel to operate them. We need to work in concurrent sections along the corridor, set cranes on local roads, and run paving operations at all opportunities. It is a feature of the Safety and Efficiency project to see heavy equipment onsite and operating daily. Without it, we couldn't get it done."
Work in Fast Lane
Being one of the most critical arteries serving downtown Indianapolis and requiring temporary closures of the roadway for pipe crossings, crews encountered the challenge of scheduling work around major conventions, sporting and racing events.
"We were able to coordinate with the city of Indianapolis and reschedule some of our closures to minimize impact to the city," Hendrickson said.
While many of the other major projects in the Indianapolis over the past few years (North Split, Finish Line, Clear Path) have required significant closures and long durations, the Safety and Efficiency contract will be able to accomplish its purpose while maintaining two lanes of traffic in both directions over the course of only two seasons. This allows traffic patterns to be minimally impacted for travelers accessing downtown or continuing through the Crossroads of America from south of Indianapolis.
"We also encountered unexpected water tables at the southern end of the project, which impacted the completion of the Hanna Avenue bridge," Hendrickson said. "The contractor had to perform additional dewatering and install draw-down wells to counteract a [suspected] spring."
Right of way acquisition was minimal, but INDOT needed to acquire the abandoned railroad bridge with no apparent owner. The structure itself had changed hands between several railroad companies but was eventually abandoned in place by CSX. To acquire it, INDOT had to follow the condemnation process without an owner, which required the Attorney General's office.
This structure is the lowest crossing point in this stretch of I-65, so removing it will increase safety and reduce the risk of impacts from large loads post-construction, Schneider said.
While not exactly a challenge, but what Schneider characterized as a result of public outreach during the environmental process, several improvements were added, including improved pedestrian facilities at Morris/Prospect, under all crossings where path currently exists and across the new Hanna Avenue bridge. Pedestrian lighting will be upgraded and provided where not currently existing. Due to feedback during the noise analysis, a new sound wall will be added north of Hanna Avenue. CEG
