INDOT awards I-69 contract

The last contract for the alignment of Interstate 69 in Monroe County has been awarded to Bloomington contractor Crider & Crider Inc., which will connect State Road 37 with the interstate at a “trumpet” interchange south of Bloomington.

Crider & Crider’s $29 million bid was the lowest among eight companies and 10 percent below the engineer’s cost estimate, the Indiana Department of Transportation announced Thursday in a press release.

The trumpet design for the interchange will allow traffic on I-69 and SR 37 to move at higher speeds on ramps and will provide exit and entrance access in both directions, INDOT spokesperson Will Wingfield said.

In anticipation of the increase in traffic expected on the interchanges, INDOT is currently seeking safety upgrades needed on SR 37, Wingfield said. INDOT has nearly completed the acquisition of all properties located in the areas of development and will not begin construction until all properties have been acquired, he said.

Because Crider & Crider Inc. is a local contracting company, they will have an advantage in the construction process because the proximity of the site to construction employees and equipment, Wingfield said.

However, Wingfield said INDOT realizes that due to the locality of the contracting company, INDOT will need to display increased sensitivity toward local property owners affected by the construction.

The connection with SR 37 corresponds with Section 4 of the I-69 alignment, which extends from Naval Support Activity Crane to Bloomington and is expected to be open by 2014, according to the press release. Only one construction contract for Greene County remains to be awarded and contractor bids are scheduled to be released by the end of this year, Wingfield said.

On Tuesday INDOT announced the release of the Tier 2 Draft Environmental Impact Statement for I-69 Section 5, which will connect the SR 37 corridor from just south of Bloomington to SR 39 near Martinsville.

The draft describes the maximum potential environmental impacts of the construction of Section 5, according to the press release.

INDOT is encouraging public input on the document. INDOT will welcome comments at a public hearing on the DEIS on Dec. 6 at the Monroe County Fairgrounds Auditorium. 

One of the issues that will be discussed is whether to build a full interchange in the floodplain north of Bloomington at Old SR 37/Walnut Street, where a partial
interchange currently exists.

The DEIS document will then be sent to the Federal Highway Administration for review. Pending approval, construction is expected to begin during the first half of 2013, Wingfield said.

“We’ll be seeking detail from designers, consultants and construction companies on the fastest and most cost-effective way to build the project,” Wingfield said.