Roundabouts and roadwork: Here's where the I-69 bridge project stands in Indiana, Kentucky

The years-long project to build a new crossing over the Ohio River for Interstate 69 is gathering steam on both sides of the river, with construction activity evident on the Kentucky side so far.

The $1.4 billion project is divided into three sections:

• Section 1 at Henderson, being overseen by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

• Section 2, a bi-state project to extend I-69 across the Ohio River

• Section 3, work north of the river that will be overseen by the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Here is an overview of progress being made on the long-awaited Ohio River crossing.

What’s happened so far

Officials ceremonially broke ground in Henderson in June 2022 and work began in earnest in Henderson in spring 2023 as Section 1 general contractor Ragle Inc. began construction of the southern approach to the bridge site, splitting off from what’s known locally as the U.S. 41-Bypass.

A mile-long traffic shift has been in place along that roadway since spring 2023. Considerable earthmoving work has taken place and some bridge structures have been constructed. They are among nine new bridges that will go up along I-69 in the Henderson area in addition to four bridges that will be rehabilitated.

A bit farther south, crews have been working to replace the U.S. 41 bridges at the Kentucky 351/Zion Road/Second Street interchange, which has necessitated another traffic shift.

Farther north, along U.S. 60-East near Tilman-Bethel Road just east of Henderson, road construction and utility relocation work has become more evident. In January, Henderson Mayor Brad Staton disclosed a proposal, reported by The Hendersonian newspaper, for a frontage road that would parallel I-69 from U.S. 60-East to the Balmoral Acres subdivision and accommodate national restaurant chains and hotels.

The KYTC awarded a $158 construction million contract in late 2021 to the Ragle Inc./Stantech Consulting Services inc. design-build team.

3 roundabouts in Henderson

Then a week ago, preparations began for construction of the first of three roundabouts in a quarter-mile stretch of busy outer Second Street/Zion Road in Henderson, traveled by an average of nearly 15,000 vehicles per day, according to a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet traffic count in 2021.

That first roundabout — the first ever constructed in Henderson County — will be located between North Middle School and Palmer’s Market. It will replace the traditional intersection, with stop signs, that serves both as the entry/exit to Kentucky 2084 beside Palmer’s as well as the main traffic entrance to North Middle and the Henderson County Schools’ central office.

The I-69 Ohio River Crossing project office said the plan is to have that roundabout operational by the start of the Henderson County school year in early August.

In the meantime, the normal five lanes of traffic along a stretch of outer Second Street (including the center left-turn lane) have been squeezed into just four narrow lanes on about half of the existing roadway surface. That lane configuration is expected to remain in place until early July, according to a post by the project office.

Also, a portion of Kentucky 2084 south of Palmer’s has been closed and a detour using existing ramps and a short stretch of U.S. 41 put in place. Kentucky 2084 is expected to reopen in early June.

The future second and third roundabouts — which are joined in what is sometimes called a dumbbell traffic circle because, from above, they resemble the shape of an exercise dumbbell — will serve as the new interchange as that stretch of U.S. 41 is converted to I-69.

The prospect of three roundabouts for a community that has had none has sparked concern among some in Henderson.

A Facebook group, called Friends Who Like Henderson Watch, made a late-night post on Feb. 1 inviting comments on the triple roundabouts, which will carry traffic to four schools (Holy Name School, North Middle, Henderson County High School and East Heights Elementary School) in addition to other motorists. Within five days, 345 comments were posted, many of them negative.

“It’s going to be a nightmare,” one poster said.

“People can’t drive on straight roads let alone on roundabouts,” said another, while others expressed concern about fender-benders, or worse; more than one person suggested that police, firefighters and ambulance crews take up residence at the site.

But others were more supportive. “I use a configuration identical to this (at I-69 and Indiana 252 in Martinsville, Indiana) and it works perfectly,” one man said.

“If you can’t drive on a roundabout you shouldn’t have a driver’s license,” said another.

(Folks in Carmel, Indiana, might be amused, or possibly exasperated, by the debate. The city of Carmel began constructing roundabouts in the late 1990s and now has more than 150, more than any other city in the United States, according to the city’s website.

“The number of injury accidents in Carmel have been reduced by about 80 percent and the number of accidents overall by about 40 percent. Our numbers are similar to those reported by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety,” the city’s website declares.

Section 1, which extends from Kentucky 425 just south of Henderson (currently, the northern terminus for I-69 in Kentucky) to U.S. 60-East, is projected to be complete in 2025.

Work in Indiana

Meanwhile, the Indiana Department of Transportation in late November awarded a $202 million contract for construction of Section 3 of the crossing project, including a new interchange between U.S. 41 and Green River Road and approach roads and bridges north of the river that will guide future I-69 traffic to Section 2 — the bridge across the Ohio River.

The Section Three contract was awarded to ORX Constructors, a joint venture that includes Walsh Construction and Traylor Bros Inc.

Work is scheduled to begin this summer and be complete in 2026.

“We’re eager for construction to get underway as we work toward the completion of this crucial connection to Kentucky and points beyond, officially finishing I-69 throughout the state,” INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith said at the time.

The point of it all: The new bridge

The ultimate goal is for a single four-lane bridge, on which tolls will be charged, will create a new Ohio River crossing.

Besides the bridge, Section 2 will include a lengthy approach from U.S. 60-East in Henderson County to that bridge.

“Design work is expected to begin in 2025 with construction anticipated to begin in 2027 and continue through 2031,” a I-69 Ohio River project office posting has stated, adding: “Both states are looking for opportunities to accelerate the timeline.”

An ongoing question is whether the two existing U.S. 41 Twin Bridges will remain open once the I-69 bridge is completed. Under current plans, the northbound bridge will remain open to two-way traffic while the southbound bridge would be retired. Henderson officials, including Kentucky state Sen. Robby Mills and state Rep. Jonathan Dixon, have said they will advocate for keeping both bridges open for free U.S. 41 travel between Henderson and Evansville. Indiana officials, though, have shown less appetite for maintaining two legacy bridges because of the ongoing maintenance costs.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Is the I-69 bridge being built in Evansville and Henderson?