By the numbers
75: Number of lane miles to be rebuilt

24: Number of hours a day that workers will be at the construction site.

28: Number of bridge decks that will be replaced.
Derek Smith, Daily Reporter Staff Writer

Major reconstruction work next year along I-70 won't come as a surprise to Greenfield-area resident Suzanne Young.

"I think it's going to be a real headache temporarily," she said. "It needs it, though."

March will mark the start of the first phase of reconstruction of I-70 from the north split with I-65 in downtown Indianapolis to the east side of I-465. Thousands of Hancock County residents use it every day to commute to jobs in Marion County. Hundreds more use it to get to their jobs in Hancock County from Marion, Hamilton and other counties.

I-70 was constructed in the early 1970s, and that stretch has never been rebuilt, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation. Nearly 180,000 vehicles use the congested six-mile stretch of interstate near downtown Indianapolis each day.

Safety concerns such as narrow road shoulders and limited driver visibility spurred INDOT to begin planning the I-70 reconstruction project in 2004.

Dubbed "Super 70," the $175 million project will replace 75 lane miles of pavement; replace 28 bridge decks; widen the inside shoulders, reconstruct I-70 over Sherman Drive; and add new signs, lighting and pavement markings.

Super 70 is one of the most aggressive projects in INDOT history, said INDOT spokesman Will Wingfield.

"There's such a significant amount of work that needs to be done," he said. "It's beyond the scope of what we've tried to accomplish before."

The project is bigger even than another project with a interesting moniker: "Hyperfix," which rebuilt the I-70/I-65 area around the eastern edge of downtown Indianapolis. That project took only a few months in 2003. This one will last most of 2007.

Deteriorating pavement is one concern that prompted INDOT to make the I-70 project a priority, Wingfield said.

Walsh Construction Co. of Chicago is the primary contractor for the project, while American Consulting Inc. of Indianapolis is handling the design.

Preparations for the project began last summer with some widening of shoulders and sign changes.

Reconstruction will begin on the north side of I-70 from March to July, followed by work on the south side of the interstate from July to November. The final work will be completed in 2008.

In March, traffic will be diverted to the eastbound lanes of the highway while the westbound lanes are resurfaced.

If everything goes as planned, the eastbound lanes will get a similar makeover beginning in July.

Workers will use a moveable barrier system that allows for three inbound travel lanes and two outbound lanes during the morning rush hour, and three outbound lanes and two inbound lanes during the afternoon rush hour.

The barrier system is designed to maximize traffic flow.

Work will be performed around the clock in order to expedite the project, Wingfield said.

And there will be plenty of incentive for contractors to finish on time.

Wingfield said contractors can earn an incentive of up to $1.8 million - or $120,000 per day for up to 15 days - for completing Super 70 ahead of schedule.

Conversely, contractors would lose $120,000 for each day that the project is late, he said, adding that there is not a limit in the number of days for this penalty.

Super 70 has been designed to minimize the inconvenience of the reconstruction, Wingfield said.

Renee Donahue, a 38-year-old Hancock County resident, said she takes I-70 to downtown Indianapolis about twice a month.

"It's going to be a real pain in the butt," she said of Super 70. "I'm glad I don't work downtown anymore."

Nevertheless, Donahue said she drove the stretch of I-70 a few days ago and thinks the reconstruction will be well worth it in the end.

"It's a mess," she said. "There's actually a lane closed, but the lanes never seem to get any better."

Young said the I-70 pavement gets bumpy west of Emerson Avenue. She doesn't expect the inconvenience of Super 70 to be too bad, and said the project should prove "worth the headache."

"The part that people really get frustrated with is the sitting (stuck in traffic)," she said.

Super 70 will affect the commutes of many of the nearly 19,000 Hancock County workers who drive to Indianapolis every day.

INDOT will encourage drivers to make use of alternate routes such as U.S. 40/E. Washington Street, Pendleton Pike/Massachusetts Avenue and East 38th Street (CR 300N in Hancock County).

Officials with the Central Indiana Commuter Service are talking with employers and workers in Hancock County and offering incentives to form car and vanpools in light of the I-70 reconstruction.

Additional information on Super 70 is available online at www.in.gov/dot/div/projects/i70, while additional information about commuter services is available at www.centralincommuter.net.
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