Indiana set to begin work to connect I-69 with Kentucky

(The Center Square) – Construction work will soon start on the final section of roadway for Interstate 69 in Indiana, a project that will eventually connect the key north-south highway with a route being built in western Kentucky.

Gov. Eric Holcomb and Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Smith led a groundbreaking for the $202 million project in Evansville. The ceremony took place a month after the state celebrated the completion of the interchange for I-69’s southern spur and I-465 in southwest Indianapolis. That project completed the construction of the limited-access highway between the state’s first- and third-largest cities.

For the next two years, crews will be new roads and bridges that will eventually connect the I-69 segments in Evansville and Henderson, Kentucky. Those will be used by workers when preparation for a new Ohio River bridge begins next year. Officials from both states have said the bridge work will be finalized within seven years. However, they’re also trying to identify ways to expedite the construction process.

“Today signifies a key milestone toward completing the most direct, safe, and efficient connection between Evansville and Henderson,” Holcomb said. “This additional crossing will open the door to limitless new opportunities for transportation, economic and community development projects.”

Work on the approach to the bridge from the Kentucky side began two years ago. That segment is expected to be completed next year.

Including the soon-to-start work in Indiana and the ongoing construction in Kentucky, the entire project is expected to cost about $1.4 billion. Leaders from both states have agreed to split some of the costs, but they also are looking to Washington for funding. Last year, the states submitted an application for more than $630 million in federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Congress passed in 2021.

Once known as the NAFTA Superhighway, I-69’s northern terminus ends in Port Huron, Mich., at the Canadian border. Eventually, the interstate will run through Memphis, Tenn., and south to the Mexican border. There are stretches of the highway completed in Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas, but work remains in those three states as well as all portions within Arkansas and Louisiana.

“We know how important this future I-69 bridge is to Evansville and the surrounding region,” Smith said. “Indiana has led the way in investing in I-69.”