Traffic flows in the southbound lane of Interstate 65 near the exit to 61st Street in Merrillville on Monday, May 15, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune)
Concrete restoration work on Interstate 65 between U.S. 231 in Crown Point and the I-80/94 interchange in Gary will result in lanes and ramp closures through the fall, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation.
The ramp from northbound I-65 to westbound I-80/94 was closed overnight this week to shift a barrier wall and place pavement markings.
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On Sunday, July 30, workers will start the concrete restoration project on the ramp from eastbound I-80/94 to southbound I-65. What that means for drivers is the ramp will be restricted to one lane during daytime hours and closed completely during the overnight hours of approximately 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. This work is expected to last around four weeks.
Drivers will be directed to follow a detour when the ramp is closed by following I-80/94 eastbound to Ripley to I-80/94 westbound to I-65 southbound.
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Concrete restoration will also take place on I-65 southbound between mile marker 260 to 258, with traffic reduced to a single left lane.
During this work, the ramps from southbound and northbound State Road 53/Broadway to eastbound I-80/94, eastbound I-80/94 to southbound I-65 to Ridge Road collector ramp, and southbound I-65 to Ridge Rd will also be closed due to the location of the work zone.
The ramp from Ridge Rd to northbound I-65 remains closed through late October, and the ramp from Ridge Rd to southbound I-65 will be closed through mid-September.
The ramp from northbound I-65 to U.S. 231 and the ramp from 109th to northbound I-65 will be closed overnight Thursday, July 27 to set up a temporary traffic configuration through the work zone. As a result, northbound I-65 traffic will be impacted during the overnight hours while the travel lanes are realigned to the northbound side instead of crossing over to the southbound side.
When the temporary traffic configuration is in place Friday morning, all ramps at the U.S. 231 and 109th interchanges will be open including the ramps from northbound I-65 to 109th and U.S. 231 to northbound I-65, which have been closed since May. The passing lanes will be closed and two lanes of traffic will be shifted to the right in each direction as part of the new traffic configuration.
Around Thursday, August 3, the contractor will shift the temporary barrier wall from the southbound side to the northbound side which will take approximately one week. Once the barrier wall is reset, southbound traffic will be switched to crossover to the northbound side through this work zone. The ramp from 109th to southbound I-65 and the ramp from southbound I-65 to U.S. 231 will also close at this time. Traffic will remain in this configuration through late November.
All construction schedules are weather dependent and subject to change.
Motorists should be prepared for overnight lane closures and changing traffic patterns in the area through late December.