Work Starts Soon on Borman/I-65 Interchange
By Keith Benman, The Times, Munster, Ind.
Feb. 27–The last major phase of the Borman Expressway expansion will get underway this spring, when two ramps that have long caused bottlenecks will be expanded and improved.
Bids were opened last week for adding lanes to the eastbound Interstate 80/94 to southbound Interstate 65 ramp and the northbound I-65 to westbound I-80/94 ramp, according to Joshua Bingham, an Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman.
“The point of the project is to increase safety and lessen congestion,” Bingham said.
There will be no detours due to construction this year, Bingham said. But both ramps will be restricted to one lane during parts of the construction.
The construction work will also eventually impact both of the Ridge Road to northbound I-65 ramps. Ridge Road is just a short distance south of the Borman.
The interchange project opens the last phase of the $300 million Borman expansion.
Construction from 2003 to 2005 added a fourth lane in each direction on the 13-mile stretch of I-80/94 that bears astronaut Frank Borman’s name. Five interchanges were reconfigured. No major work was done in 2006.
The remaining projects have a total estimated price tag of $187 million. That includes work on more ramps at I-80/94 and I-65 next year and reconstruction work on six bridges there in 2009.
The projects are being paid for with a combination of traditional state and federal dollars, as well as Major Moves money from the Indiana Toll Road lease, Bingham said.
Walsh Construction Co. submitted the low bid of $46.2 million for this year’s work, according to information posted on the Indiana Department of Transportation Web site. The contract will be awarded this week, Bingham said.
The Walsh bid and another by Superior Construction/Rieth Riley both came in under the INDOT estimated price of $55.6 million.
A lane will be added to the northbound I-65 to westbound I-80/94 ramp at its west end, making its entire length two lanes. Under its current configuration, it narrows to one lane, creating bottlenecks.
A collector lane will be added to the south end of the eastbound I-80/94 to southbound I-65 ramp. In addition, three bridges will be rebuilt.
About 12 miles west of the I-80/94 and I-65 interchange, the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Kingery Expressway project will shut down both ramps from Calumet Avenue to I-80/94 westbound starting Thursday.
IDOT is adding lanes to the last miles of the Kingery and the first mile of the Borman in the last phase of its $430 million Kingery rebuild. It is expected to be completed by late summer.
—–
To see more of The Times, Munster, Ind., or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.nwitimes.com.
Copyright (c) 2007, The Times, Munster, Ind.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.