Beneath sunny skies, local leaders and project supporters gathered near a corn field in Evansville, Ind., as ground was officially broken on Section 3 of the I-69 Ohio River Crossing (I-69 ORX) project. The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is overseeing the $216 million design-build effort, which will improve the state's infrastructure.

"This is a transformational project that will complete the interstate connection between Evansville, Indiana and Henderson, Kentucky," said INDOT project manager Matthew Bullock. "That connectivity will be a tremendous benefit to both communities, states and the entire region. It will support the safer and more efficient movement of both people and goods in the region and will open the door to new opportunities."

I-69 ORX Section 1 involves the approach work in Henderson, Ky., and is being overseen by the Kentucky Department of Transportation. Work is expected to be complete later this year. I-69 ORX Section 2 is a bi-state project between Indiana and Kentucky and includes the new four-lane river crossing. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and be completed in 2031. The bridge is the final I-69 connection for the two states.

"I-69 will be a new, national north/south interstate corridor," said Bullock. "When complete, it will be a new route connecting Mexico to Canada. I-69 ORX Section 3 includes some of the approach roadways and bridges in Indiana. Those roads and bridges will provide the important all-weather construction access to build the future I-69 bridge."

The all-weather construction access that's being built as part of Section 3 will be critical to helping keep work on schedule when construction begins on the new bridge. Having all-weather access will help avoid potential weather delays.

I-69 Ohio River Crossing photo

Section 3 construction began in earnest in October 2024. Work remains on schedule and is expected to be more than halfway finished by late 2025, with a completion date of 2026. The design-build joint venture contractor team is composed of Walsh Construction Co. and Traylor Bros. Inc.

The design work involved four major packages, one for the roadway and earthwork grading plans, as well as three plan sets for the bridges. The design-build team was able to complete the grading design first, which allowed for embankment and grading work to progress.

Design work for Bridge 1, the longest bridge, was completed next. Bridge 1 construction started while the other two bridge designs were being finalized. This method allows for the work to begin on an earlier timeline.

The project is being built off the mainline. While it's adjacent to I-69 and is visible from the interstate in Evansville, there are minimal traffic impacts.

"There was a single lane restriction on northbound I-69 that was in place for just over four months to accommodate pre-construction activities," said Bullock. "The restriction impacted a 1.5-mile stretch of northbound I-69, from east of the U.S. 41 interchange to the Green River Road interchange. Crews widened and strengthened the inside shoulder of the interstate. The additional width provides space for a temporary barrier wall that separates construction traffic from the traveling public. The closure also accommodated some embankment work."

Bullock noted that most of Section 3 is, unfortunately, located in a floodplain.

"We've already seen two high water events this year that caused us to demobilize equipment, prepare the work site and be sidelined from construction for a period. We're prepared for the high water, and additional time has been built into the schedule to accommodate expected flooding."

Another challenge is the geotechnical complexities. The site lies on the north bank of the Ohio River, with deep layers of sand deposits overlaying weak shale and coal seams. The proposed I-69 corridor is considered a critical route and has been designed considering two levels of seismic movement.

An extensive geotechnical investigation and analysis included more than 50 borings and three full-scale test piles.

Deep foundations for this project include more than 1,000 pipe piles, totaling roughly 17 mi. of piling. Crews are driving the piling using diesel impact hammers and swinging leads on 230-ton and 250-ton Manitowoc crawler cranes.

According to Vince Alley, ORX Constructors senior project manager, most of the work on site has centered on foundation and substructure work.

"The focus this spring was on piers and earthwork embankments for new roadways and bridges. A total of 520 piles have been driven into the ground, which means piling work is about 50 percent complete project-wide. More than 4,500 cubic yards of concrete have been poured. We are about one-third complete with pouring concrete for foundations/substructure work, and about 20 percent complete with pouring concrete project-wide.

"Aside from flooding, the project has been progressing rapidly. In March 2025, there were 19 elements poured with concrete, including six piers of pile infill, six footings, five pier stems and two pier caps."

Foundation/substructure work is the current focus. Prestressed beam trial batches have been completed and are beginning casting. About 50,000 cu. yds. of permanent embankment have been placed.

This year, crews will complete the substructure for one bridge, set beams and begin pouring decks. Piling and substructure work for the remaining two bridges is expected to be complete and crews will be setting beams. There will be a large push for earthwork embankment this season, with 600,000 cu. yds. of embankment expected to be placed.

I-69 Ohio River Crossing photo

As far as building piers, abutments and earthwork embankments for new approach roadways and bridges, ORX Constructors design-build coordinator Neal O'Russa said, "There are three bridges with a total of six abutments and 41 intermediate piers for a total bridge length of 7,250 linear feet. There is a total of 180 prestressed, precast lightweight high-performance concrete beams. The longest is 188 feet, weighing 100 tons."

Work involved for building piers includes excavation for pile driving and footings. A Cat 325 excavator digs excavations approximately 30 ft. by 30 ft. and 8 ft. deep. Piling is driven using swinging leads and a diesel pile hammer suspended by a Manitowoc lattice boom crawler crane.

EFCO steel gang forms were selected for the concrete substructure elements. Reinforcing steel for the column stems and pier caps are pre-tied and set into place as large cages within the formwork.

The cap forms are self-supported and do not use any shoring towers or dance floors. The bottom soffit of the cap form is hinged to allow stripping of the cap form. Cycles for each concrete element range from five to eight days. Most substructure formwork is being handled by a Grove 65-ton rough-terrain crane and a Manitowoc 888 lattice boom crawler crane.

"Later this summer, we'll mobilize two larger 300-ton cranes to set beams on the bridges," said O'Russa. "After beams are set, smaller assist cranes will be used to set deck pans, overhang formwork and deck rebar. Deck placements will be performed with concrete pump trucks from ground level. A Bidwell 4800 paver will be used to finish the bridge deck surface.

"Earthmoving operations are performed by a local subcontractor, Blankenberger Bros. Inc., based out of Cynthiana, Ind. Their fleet includes a Hitachi ZX800 excavator for mass excavation at a nearby borrow pit. Materials will be hauled by articulated haul trucks or tractors pulling pan scrapers. Dozers and sheep foot compactor rollers will place the material in uniform lifts to achieve proper compaction. The placing and finish grade equipment utilizes GPS machine control to provide precise grading and minimize staking work."

Main materials include bridge deck; embankment fill; 18-in. diameter pipe piles; 6,000 cu. yds. pile concrete infill; 8,000 cu. yds. substructure concrete; 10,500 cu. yds. deck concrete; and prestressed precast lightweight high-performance concrete beams.

Bullock said it's rewarding to see the progress that's been made in Evansville over the past several months.

"For those who have wondered where the long-discussed future I-69 bridge will be located, the piers that are being built now are marking the path to this key connection."

INDOT commissioner Lyndsay Quist said, "With the work under way on Section 3 of the I-69 Ohio River Crossing, we are now taking the first steps toward completing this key connection. It's great to see the approach starting to take shape and know the work happening in Evansville is truly setting the stage for the new I-69 bridge." CEG