Indiana Department of Transportation FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 22, 2015
Contract Awarded for New U.S. 31
Interchange at State Road 28
The Indiana
Department of Transportation has awarded a $10.8 million contract to
Rieth-Riley Construction Company to build a new U.S. 31 interchange at State
Road 28 in Tipton County.
“Removing the
stoplight at U.S. 31 and State Road 28 marks the next step forward to finish
what we started in reducing travel time between Indianapolis and South Bend,”
Governor Mike Pence said. “Investing in Indiana’s highways ensures that we have
the type of infrastructure that supports economic development and invites job creation.”
The project
will bridge State Road 28 over U.S. 31 and build a single-lane roundabout to
regulate State Road 28 traffic at the U.S. 31 ramps. The roundabout is specially designed to
accommodate agricultural equipment, increased commuter and truck traffic, and
future development near the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Tipton Transmission
Plant.
About the contract
Rieth-Riley’s bid was the lowest among five bidders and more than $1
million below estimates.
Weather permitting, work to relocate
utilities, clear right-of-way and remove existing structures will begin in
early 2016. Road construction is scheduled
to begin around April. A closure of
State Road 28 for up to 120 days is tentatively estimated to begin in June. The specific closure date will be announced
next year. The new interchange is expected
to open to traffic in November. All work
on the contract should be complete in 2017.
Specific project updates, traffic impacts and
schedules will be announced on INDOT’s Tipton County list. Subscribe to receive text and email alerts at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/INDOT/subscriber/new.
About U.S. 31 from Indianapolis to South Bend
The new interchange at State Road 28 advances the goal of making U.S. 31 a
signal-free highway between Indianapolis and South Bend. The U.S. 31 freeway projects near South Bend
and Kokomo are now open.
Last week, U.S. 31 traffic was
shifted onto new bridges over 106th and 116th streets, opening the freeway to
three lanes in each direction and effectively removing the final two traffic
signals from U.S. 31 through Carmel. All
ramps at the I-465 and U.S. 31 interchange, including the new free-flowing
ramps from I-465 to northbound U.S. 31, are anticipated to be open to traffic
and in their final configurations next week.
The U.S. 31
Major Moves projects have removed a total of 32 traffic signals from U.S. 31
between Indianapolis and South Bend, increasing safety and saving a half hour
of travel time.
Stay Informed
For more information about the project, go to http://www.in.gov/indot/3289.htm.
Follow @INDOT_ECentral on Twitter and Indiana Department of
Transportation: East Central on Facebook.
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