Latest News & Construction Updates

Contract R-27552, the last of four contracts on the I-465 NW Project, will begin construction this spring. The Project will complete the reconstruction of the interchange ramps at I-465 and West 71st St. and I-465 and West 86th St. The following is a brief summary of the work to be done.

Construction Activities

• All interchange ramps will be replaced on new alignments. Additional ramp lanes will be constructed in most cases.
• 71st St. pavement will be replaced and new signals installed between Marsh Rd. and Woodland Ave.
• 86th St. pavement will be replaced between Mariesi Dr., just west of I-465 and Northwest Blvd., east of I-465.
• Loop ramps will be constructed in the NW quadrants of both interchanges to accommodate the free flow of traffic from WB 71st or 86th to I-465 SB.
• A new direct connect ramp will be constructed from I-465 NB to 73rd St. The new ramp will leave I-465 at the same location as the I-465 NB ramp to 71st St., crossing over 71st St before ending at 73rd and Woodland Ave.
• In conjunction with the Project, the City of Indianapolis DPW will convert 73rd St. to one-way east and 74th St. to one-way west.
• A multi-use trail will be constructed thru both interchanges along the south side of each road. The trail is a coordinated effort with the City of Indianapolis and will connect to future trails on either side of I-465.

Maintaining Traffic and Project Schedule

• Traffic on both 71st and 86th St. will be maintained during construction by means of crossovers. Traffic will be maintained on the existing WB lanes during construction of new EB lanes. Traffic will then be maintained on the new EB lanes while the WB lanes are replaced.
• All ramp traffic will be maintained during construction with the exception that a ramp may be closed during the night or over a weekend. Only 1 ramp in both interchanges may be closed at a time.
• All new ramps and lanes, with the exception of the 73rd direct connect ramp, will be open to traffic by November 17, 2006 unless unforeseen circumstances delay completion.
• The 73rd St. ramp will be open to traffic by June 1, 2007.

Want to take a look into the Future?
Check out some visualizations of how the project will look when completed.