The Indiana Department of Transportation will be closing ramps overnight in the fall of 2021 as part of an I-65 improvement project.
The Columbus Board of Works approved a special use right-of-way request from INDOT for the project last week.
City engineer Dave Hayward said that INDOT is working on improving a section of I-65 from the Walesboro exit to Columbus Exit 68 at State Road 46.
“As part of that, they need to do some work on the ramps on the south side of the interchange,” he said.
According to a letter of understanding from INDOT, ramps at the interchange of I-65 and State Road 46 will be closed for repairs 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31, 2021.
The letter also stated that the official detour route will utilize Johnson Boulevard, Merchant Mile and Carr Hill Road to the east of the interchange, and Carlos Folger Drive and North County Road 325W to the west of the interchange.
“If any damage occurs to those streets that they’ve designated as their detour, that the damage will be paid for by INDOT,” Hayward said.
This work comes after the official completion in September of adding an additional lane to I-65 between U.S. 50 in Seymour and State Road 58 in Walesboro.
That $143 million project, which took two and a half years of construction for the 14.25 miles, was named the I-65 Southeast Indiana Project.
The widening of 18 mainline bridges and rehabilitation of nine overpass bridges also were part of the project.
The contract for the next section of added travel lanes on I-65 from State Road 58 in Walesboro to State Road 46 in Columbus is expected to go to bid this year with construction beginning in the spring.
