Road work whittles I-65 South down to 1 lane in Boone County

BOONE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - Locals who have to drive south to Lebanon or Indianapolis should take care when navigating Interstate 65 this week.

According to the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), southbound I-65 will be restricted nightly to one lane between the U.S. Highway 52 bridge and the Prairie Creek Bridge beginning Tuesday night.

The lane closures will span from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and will sustain through March, weather-permitting. Crews will be reconstructing the interstate and shoulders in this area.

Reith-Riley Construction Company, Inc., and designer R.W. Armstrong were awarded the $41,455,610 Major Moves design build contract.

This project on I-65 will add an additional lane in each direction and reconstruct the existing lanes of the interstate from six-tenths of a mile north of State Road 32, to a half-mile south of Boone County Road 100 East.

The project includes rebuilding the State Road 39 Bridge over I-65 and the interstate bridge over Prairie Creek, and also rehabilitating the bridge over Lafayette Avenue.

The entire project is slated to be complete in July.

The speed limit will be pulled down to 45 miles per hour throughout the work zone beginning March 5. This project has been targeted by Indiana State police and the Boone County Sheriff’s Office for increased enforcement activities in an effort to cut down on speeding in a work zone.

For the latest news on INDOT projects, head to INDOT’s website.