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NEWS

I-65 NB lanes reopen in Lafayette area

Ron Wilkins, The Lafayette Journal & Courier
Northbound traffic on I-65 is diverted to the southbound lanes after emergency structural problems with the bridge over Wildcat Creek forced the closure of the northbound lanes Tuesday between Indiana 25 and Indiana 26.

Update: Northbound lanes of Interstate 65 opened Wednesday night after more than 24 hours of frantic work to repair and stabilize a northbound bridge over Wildcat Creek.

The opening was done en echelon, with the Indiana 26 exit opening first around 8:20 p.m., followed by the Indiana 38 exit. These were followed by openings by exits at Indiana 28 and Indiana 47.

Indiana State Police troopers planned to lead the traffic from the U.S. 52 exit north to get the traffic flowing.

Motorists were advised to follow the troopers’ directions to make the transition smooth.

Contractors discovered structural problems with the bridge on Tuesday, prompting Indiana Department of Transportation to close the interstate between Lebanon and Lafayette, spokeswoman Debbie Calder said.

The interstate reopened around 8:30 p.m., earlier than Calder suspected when she spoke with the Journal & Courier earlier Wednesday.

Earlier - 4:30 Aug. 5: The closure of Interstate 65 northbound near Lafayette is causing significant traffic problems across the region, leaving a lot of drivers stuck in their vehicles. Here's the latest detour information.

How do I get home?

If you're traveling north on I-65, here's what you need to do.

If your destination is in West Lafayette or points north of Lafayette:

  • Exit at mile marker 141 onto U.S. 52 near Lebanon.
  • Travel north on U.S. 52 to Indiana 28.
  • Turn west on Indiana 28 to U.S. 231 in Romney.
  • Turn north onto U.S. 231.
  • Remain on U.S. 231 through West Lafayette.
  • Turn left at the stop light at the intersection of U.S. 52 and U.S. 231.
  • Travel on U.S. 231/U.S. 52 to Montmorenci.
  • Follow U.S. 231 north for about 15 miles to the I-65 northbound ramp.
  • Wave goodbye to Lafayette.

If your destination is near downtown Lafayette:

  • Pass the first detour route and exit at Indiana 38 at mile marker 168.
  • Drive west on Indiana 38 into downtown Lafayette.

If you're driving inside Lafayette:

  • Roads are backed up throughout the area as the traffic from I-65 is funneled along Sagamore Parkway and U.S. 231.
  • Lafayette police ask drivers to avoid Indiana 26 and Sagamore Parkway, especially as many people are leaving work. Many sections of the road are gridlocked.
  • U.S. 231 in West Lafayette is also clogged so locals should take secondary roads around the area.
  • If you order a pizza to avoid the traffic, be kind to the delivery driver.

What's causing this mess?

Interstate 65 northbound closed about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday because crews noticed structural problems with the Wildcat Creek bridge, between Indiana 25 and Indiana 26.

Debbie Calder, a spokesperson for Indiana Department of Transportation, said the structure was found to be compromised during construction on the bridge related to the I-65 added travel lanes project. The project engineer working for INDOT reported the damage.

Contractors noticed unusual movement of the bridge Tuesday afternoon and then discovered the structural problem, according to an INDOT supervisor at the scene.

Construction crews on the south side of the bridge laid down gravel, creating a lane so the trapped northbound motorists north of Indiana 26 could turn around. Just before 4 p.m., Indiana State Police blocked southbound traffic to allow semis and motorists to use the newly created road.

Other than building that makeshift road between the two sections of interstate, work above and below the bridge came to a standstill after the structural defect was noticed, and the northbound lanes were eerily void of any traffic.

Southbound traffic north of the bridge remained slow and congested, but less than a mile south of the bridge, interstate traffic returned to a normal flow. It wasn't until motorists got off of the interstate at one of the Lafayette exits that the nightmare bumper-to-bumper crawl resumed in earnest.

South Street was congested, as was U.S. 52, Sagamore Parkway and Indiana 38. Other eastbound/westbound thoroughfares were all choked with detoured I-65 motorists and evening commuters.

Brad and Tonya Shoemaker decided they'd drive on Indiana 38 from their home in Mulberry into Lafayette.

"It's taken us from Mulberry to here (in front of the mall) an hour and 45 minutes," Tonya Shoemaker said.

A dozen cars behind the Shoemakers, Roy Westbrook of Valparaiso was just trying to get home on Interstate 65 when he was detoured off the highway onto U.S. 52.

"Since that (detour onto U.S. 52), about two hours," he said of his trip. "It is a mess."

He stopped at a restaurant for a quick bite to eat and merged back into that mess on Indiana 38, bound once again for Valparaiso.

Initially, INDOT predicted that adding temporary supports to the bridge and re-opening the northbound lanes might take 12 hours.

But three hours into the closure, Calder said, "Right now I think it's a little optimistic to say that it's going to be open for rush in the morning."

At 11 p.m., ISP extended the closure until Thursday.

INDOT says it needs additional time to fabricate temporary steel supports overnight that crews will use "to access and make repairs high up on a vertical riverbank pier." The supports will be built overnight for installation Wednesday underneath bridge beams.

Crews then will lift the bridge to its original elevation using special jacks and install new supports under the bridge beams.

In its release, INDOT cited recent construction and the expansion and contraction of the bridge deck during extreme heat and cold as factors in the damage to the bridge's bearings, some of which fell out from underneath the bridge deck in a short time span.

"This was quickly noticed by construction crews, who observed unusual movements in the bridge deck and investigated further," the INDOT release says. "In the interests of safety, the bridge was closed with the assistance of law enforcement, and INDOT bridge inspectors were rushed to the site."

INDOT says it and a contractor also are inspecting and monitoring other bridges along I-65 northbound and southbound.

Traffic in the southbound lanes of I-65 crawls as the northbound lanes are closed during summer 2015 due to emergency structural problems with the bridge over Wildcat Creek between Ind. 25 and Ind. 26.

Reporters Hannah Smith Kiefer and Joseph Paul contributed to this story.