GIBSON CO., IN (WFIE) -
The I-69 extension in southern Indiana is described as the longest new highway construction project now underway in the U.S.
The section from Evansville to Crane is scheduled to be open by the end of the year.
Not only is that the longest construction project going on right now, but once sections one to three are open, it will be the largest continuous terrain interstate construction project in decades.
On Wednesday, 14 News took a tour starting at the State Road 68 and I-69 interchange, all the way to Patoka Lake.
In four months, sections one, two and three are set to be completed. 67 miles of the interstate from Evansville to Crane will be open to traffic by the end of this year.
To meet such a strict deadline construction crews are working six, 14 hour days.
"We are seeing completed bridges, pavement markings, guard rails, the seed and sod are being placed along the embankments. It's just amazing how much it changes week by week," said Cher Elliott, INDOT's spokesperson.
Although last spring, the wet weather delayed progress on I-69. This summer has made up for time lost.
One of INDOT's proudest accomplishments so far is the 44 hundred foot long bridge. That's greater than the 42 hundred main span of the Golden Gate Bridge.
"Patoka River isn't that big, but we made an environmental commitment to span the entire flood plain," said Brian Malone, the I-69 project manager.
A lot of attention has also been given to erosion control.
"Say a tanker truck would get hit and rupture, it's going to drop in there, in a ditch. We'll be able to come out and get it cleaned up in time to prevent an environmental disaster," Malone said.
Malone says working on I-69 a once in a lifetime opportunity.
"This is the longest continuous project going on in the nation at this time. It isn't everyday you get to be project manager on something of this magnitude," Malone said.
INDOT is also planning some sort of a community event for October. They haven't decided what it will be yet, but some of the ideas that have been thrown out there are an I-69 bike ride or an I-69 camp out.
Copyright 2012 WFIE. All rights reserved.
The section from Evansville to Crane is scheduled to be open by the end of the year.
