‘Accelerate 465’ Project Runs Full Throttle

Across the busy, west side of Indianapolis, an Interstate transformation moves swiftly

In addition to expanding capacity, $500-million highway project will improve safety and upgrade road designs

By Tom Hale

Construction continues in high gear on the west side of Indianapolis, as crews improve a heavily traveled corridor of Interstate 465. Dubbed “Accelerate 465,” this fast-track, multi-year project—expected to top $500 million—is adding lanes to I-465 and reconfiguring interchanges to promote the free flow of traffic.

Reconstruction of I-465’s western corridor in Indianapolis will add lanes and improve interchanges to promote the free flow of traffic. (Photo Courtesy by Tom Hale / Midwest Construction)

In addition to expanding capacity, the goals of the project are to improve motorist safety and upgrade the road design to current standards. Extra benefits to nearby residents include pedestrian crossings, noise barriers and other infrastructure improvements.

Accelerate 465, an integral piece of Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniel’s (R) “Major Moves” highway program, involves reconstructing an 11-mile stretch of I-465’s western corridor from just south of the I-70/I-465 interchange to just south of the 56th St. interchange. This portion of the interstate, originally completed in 1962, cannot handle current peak traffic volumes.

The reconstructed highway will be an urban interstate with 12-ft lanes in a minimum 216-ft right-of-way, according to the Indiana Dept. of Transportation (INDOT), and have a 30-ft paved median with a concrete barrier.

Widening The Roadway Many construction and engineering firms are participating in this high-profile project. INDOT selected a project team led by HNTB Indiana as the corridor project’s management consultant.

A crew places concrete for a ramp of the new U.S. 40/Washington Street interchange. (Photo Courtesy by Tom Hale / Midwest Construction)

The first phase of the project began in 2007, when INDOT awarded $85 million in contracts. Milestone Contractors, Columbus, Ind., received a $74.8-million contract to widen the mainline lanes of I-465 and upgrade the 38th Street interchange. During this construction, workers put down approximately 380,000 tons of asphalt. In addition, Weddle Brothers Highway Group, Bloomington, Ind., performed bridge replacements at 34th and 46th streets under a $10.8-million contract with INDOT.

Since then, several other Accelerate 465 contracts have been awarded and the project is on track for completion in 2013. A joint venture of Walsh Construction, Chicago, and E & B Paving Co., Anderson, Ind., holds the largest Accelerate 465 contract issued to date, a $128.4-million contract awarded in November 2008 for adding travel lanes and modifying interchanges on I-465 from the Sam Jones Expressway on the south side to just south of I-74 on the north.

“Construction on this contract began in late February 2009, and we hope to have traffic completely open on this section in November 2010,” says INDOT Project Engineer Chad Nierman, a 12-year construction veteran who is overseeing this job. “The contract is scheduled for completion in spring 2011.”

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The new interstate will be 10 lanes wide, with four lanes both northbound and southbound (an increase from the existing three lanes in each direction) and will feature a new auxiliary lane in each direction.

The Walsh/E & B Paving joint venture also is responsible for construction on five bridges and for performing major interchange modifications at U.S. 40/Washington Street and 10th St. “The interchanges are being completely remodeled—going from full cloverleaf interchanges to partial cloverleaf,” says Nierman. “Basically what we are doing is eliminating the exit loops. We are creating a central exit ramp with a traffic light that allows motorists to turn east or west.”

Phase one of Walsh/E & B Paving’s work is moving steadily forward. Crews are currently building the outside portions of the southbound and northbound paving systems and the bridges, says Nierman. “The unique aspect of this job is that an inside/outside construction phasing method was chosen,” he adds. “We replaced the existing shoulder berm in the median with a temporary driving lane. Then we took all three of the lanes and moved them 12 ft closer to the middle. We also ran five miles of temporary concrete barriers to protect the outside portion under construction.”

Helping prepare the way for additional lanes along northbound I-465, a hydraulic excavator lines up its bucket before dumping a load of soil into a waiting dump truck. (Photo Courtesy by Tom Hale / Midwest Construction)

Most of the outside embankment is built up with mechanically-stabilized, earth-retaining walls, “so we have to build all the walls,” Nierman explains. “Once we get the embankment system widened, we will start paving. By Nov. 15, our goal is to have the outside paving system finished, so we can take the three lanes of traffic and put them on the pavement. Then, we will begin building the interior section, and that work will continue through the 2010 construction season.”

Mainline paving operations will place the roadway containing 14-in.-thick concrete pavement. According to Nierman, approximately 450,000 sq yd of concrete will be required for the Walsh/E & B Paving job, along with about 120,000 sq yd of concrete for the interchange ramps at 10th Street and Washington Street. Also, a “massive amount” of drainage pipe is being installed.

New U.S. 36 Interchange Construction on another key Acceleration 465 contract began in April 2008. Berns Construction Co., Indianapolis, is rebuilding and upgrading the I-465 interchange at Rockville Road (U.S. 36) under a $17.25-million contract with INDOT.

The exit ramps at the interchange are being improved for better safety and traffic flow. INDOT says the new design will eliminate interweaving of accelerating and decelerating traffic, as the former cloverleaf loop ramps did.