Batesville, In. — The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to reopen eastbound Interstate 74 ramps at Exit 149 at Batesville this Saturday, October 27. On Wednesday, October 31, INDOT will open the new eastbound lanes of I-74 between New Point and the State Road 101 exit.
The eastbound I-74 off- and on-ramps accessing State Road 229 at Batesville closed October 7 to facilitate mainline concrete paving operations at the exit. Once the concrete has cured and pavement markings are put in place, the ramps will reopen. INDOT officials anticipate that will occur late in the day on Saturday.
Next Wednesday, weather permitting, the state hopes to return eastbound traffic—currently routed to a single lane on the westbound/north side of I-74—to two lanes on the eastbound/south side of I-74. Westbound traffic will be normalized to two lanes after concrete barrier wall sections have been removed from the construction zone.
Next Friday, November 2, a tentative schedule calls for the reopening of eastbound I-74’s rest area. At the same time, the westbound rest will close for approximately 8 days while barrier wall is being removed from the project site.
Milestone is the prime contractor for this Next Level pavement replacement project. Its efforts will now focus on an embankment slide near Western Creek. The company’s geohazard subcontractor will soon embed soil nails into bedrock, then affix a metal grid overcoated with shotcrete to form a stabilizing wall west of the creek. This will require closing a short section of eastbound I-74’s right lane and outside shoulder area at mile marker 153.7.
After 25 to 30 days of stabilization activities, all I-74 lanes will open for winter travel throughout the project site. This traffic pattern will remain in effect until Phase III operations to reconstruct I-74’s westbound/north side begin next spring.
