Ohio River Slides Shifting Traffic
On SR 111 Approaching Casino
NEW ALBANY,
Ind.—The Indiana Department of Transportation is responding to a number of embankment
slides on State Road 111 near the Horseshoe Casino approaching the
Floyd-Harrison county line. Two-lane
traffic is being maintained, but narrowed lanes have been shifted toward the
west shoulder—away from the river slope—at several locations.
Recent
flooding on the Ohio River, freeze-thaw cycles and rains that softened soils
along slopes has created five identified erosion sites within seven miles of
the casino. INDOT personnel are monitoring
the area for further slide movement and development of new problem locations.
Contracted geotechnical
crews will be at the various slide sites tonight recording conditions and
performing cone penetrometer tests for soil analysis. They will measure sand density and bedrock
depths before making a comprehensive analysis and developing remediation
measures.
GeoStabilization
International, Indiana’s geohazard mitigation contractor, had already been
scheduled to stabilize the S.R. 111 embankment at Two Mile Lane—four miles
north of the Ohio River casino—where pavement has dropped six to eight inches,
guardrail has pulled away from the roadway and the east shoulder is
missing. That work was slated to begin
Monday, April 9.
Yesterday
(MARCH 26), S.R. 111 northbound pavement north of the Two Mile Lane site dropped four inches near the center line. The
location is 200 feet north of extensive slope wall repairs made in 2015. About 100 feet north of this site, a sink
hole has developed around a guardrail post.
Also
yesterday, the S.R. 111 signal head at the casino parking garage entrance was
struck by a truck after slope erosion caused poles to lean and the masthead to
lower. That signal has now been removed.
Motorists can learn about highway work zones and other traffic alerts at indot.carsprogram.org, 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or 511 from a mobile phone. For highway information, monitor social media sites: www.Facebook.com/INDOTSoutheast and Twitter @INDOTSoutheast. Subscribe to receive text and email alerts at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/INDOT/subscriber/new.
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