New flyover bridge on North Split now open

WRTV Photo

By: WRTV Staff

INDIANAPOLIS — The new Interstate 65/Interstate 70 flyover bridge, the largest structure within the ongoing North Split Project, is now open to traffic, the Indiana Department of Transportation has announced.

Drivers traveling southbound on I-65 will now use the newly-constructed south-to-east bridge, which spans from College Avenue to Lewis Street to connect to I-70 eastbound.

The on-ramp from Delaware and 11th streets to I-70 eastbound also reopened Friday. Traffic is being routed directly onto the new flyover bridge.

The $350 million North Split Project is the first reconstruction of Indianapolis' well-traveled highways since they first opened in 1968. It is expected to remedy many of the safety issues that plagued the North Split before its closure.

The project will replace or repair 32 bridges over 3.1 miles of highway, reconfigure traffic patterns and condense the size of the interchange, according to an environmental assessment conducted by INDOT.

Access to downtown is available via the following routes as construction continues:

I-70 westbound collector/distributor (C/D) ramp exit ramp to Michigan Street (13-ton declared vehicle weight restriction in effect) 
Pine Street entrance ramp to I-70 eastbound from Michigan Street and New York Street   
I-65 northbound/I-70 eastbound exit ramp to Washington Street (13-ton declared vehicle weight restriction in effect)  
I-65 northbound and southbound to Martin Luther King. Jr./West Street  
I-65 southbound to Meridian Street  
I-65 northbound to Meridian and Pennsylvania Streets  
All existing ramps on I-70 west of the South Split

INDOT says drivers should slow down, be cautious, look out for changing traffic patterns and avoid driving distracted as construction continues.

More information on the North Split project is available online.