I-69 Ohio River Crossing officials say Section 1 construction will be complete by October—a body of work that that includes roundabouts on U.S. 60-East and a bridge that will span over them.
Once completed, the trucks, equipment and workers that came along with Section 1, which began in summer 2022, will be gone until a return for the construction of Section 2—the bridge work.
Section 2 has not yet been bid, and state and federal officials continue to work to secure funding for the massive project with a price tag that will dwarf Section 1’s $158 million cost. The work is scheduled for a 2027 start and a 2031 completion, though officials on all levels have said they hope it can be completed sooner.
According to a financial document posted on i69ohiorivercrossing.com, the current estimate for the bridge section is $1.27 billion.
As Section 1 moves into its last stages, significant progress is being made on the U.S. 60 roundabouts that will move motorists between the state highway and the interstate as well as between Tillman-Bethel Road and the state highway, said Mindy Peterson, the spokesperson for I-69 Ohio River Crossing. She said the roundabouts on U.S. 60 are scheduled to be open by the end of July.
The U.S. 60 roundabouts will look pretty much the same as those on Second Street, except that the full circle roundabout will be on the east side of the future overpass, whereas it’s on the west side of the bridge over Second Street, said Peterson.
The U.S. 60 roundabouts will be comprised of the “dog bone” configuration with one roundabout on either side of the bridge and the full-circle roundabout.
The dog bone configuration will move traffic on and off I-69, while the full circle will be a connector to Tillman-Bethel Road.
Important to note is the higher approaching speed of motorists coming from the east to the U.S. 60 roundabouts. The 55 miles per hour speed will be reduced to 45 mph just east of Morris Drive, Peterson said. She added that the form of roundabouts typically cause drivers to slow. The speed limit inside the roundabouts is 20 miles per hour, she said.
In addition to the roundabout work, a 2-mile span of the interstate between the future exit ramp from I-69 to U.S. 41-North and the U.S. 60 roundabouts—which that stretches behind Hoffman Plaza and Balmoral subdivision—will be ready by October, as well, said Section 1 Project Manager Emily Deason of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
Deason said two layers of asphalt have already been laid on that portion of the future interstate with a final layer coming soon. Once that is down, the final pieces of the stretch, such as guard rails, will need to be put in place before it’s ready to drive, she said.
Finally, Deason said an overpass that spans over U.S. 60 at the roundabout location will also be constructed by the Section 1 end date.
But it will stop at a point beyond the highway and hang up in the air awaiting the highway connection that will come as a part of the Section 2 work, Peterson said. Motorists will only be able to exit from the interstate at this point onto U.S. 60 via the roundabout, Deason said.
The work for Section 1 has been taken on by Ragle. Thus far, 400,000 man hours have been logged, said Peterson.
After Section 1 is complete, Section 3 on the Indiana side is next, with a scheduled completion date for some time next year, Peterson said.
The Section 3 work is being completed by two contractors, Walsh Construction and Traylor Bros. Inc., a partnership calling itself Ohio River Crossing Constructors, Peterson said. That work began last September, Peterson said.
Readers can also view a video about the U.S. 60 construction currently taking place. Click here to view.