Hyperfix 65/70: Indiana closed a major interstate corridor for repairs and reopened it a month ahead of schedule

Public Roads, March-April, 2004 by Gary Mroczka, Val Straumins, Jim Pinkelman

On Interstate 65 and 70 (I-65/70) in Indianapolis, IN, most people--not just the Indiana Department of Transportation's (INDOT) maintenance crews--could recognize the signs of aging infrastructure: potholes, deteriorating joints, and rough bridge decks. Years of service and rapidly growing traffic volumes had taken their toll. When transportation planners review all the options for road rehabilitation, sometimes the best choice may be the "road less traveled," literally.

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On May 26, 2003, INDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) planned to shut down the combined sections of I-65/70 in the heart of the city for 85 days of rehabilitation. The 5.6-kilometer (3.5-mile)-long project, dubbed "Hyperfix 65/70," would rehabilitate 33 bridge decks and about 56 lane-kilometers (35 lane-miles) of concrete pavement. It also would add capacity with additional travel and merge lanes.

Before the project began, The Indianapolis Star ran an article (March 2003) warning commuters to brace themselves for what could be the "worst construction season ever." The article explained that the city of Indianapolis planned to begin repairing several major downtown streets in preparation for the Hyperfix project. The crews would conduct repair work at more than 20 locations--all at the same time--potentially increasing congestion for downtown commuters.

On July 20, only 55 days after the Hyperfix project began, former Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon (who passed away September 13, 2003), United States Representative Julia Carson, and other dignitaries proudly opened the $30 million repaired interstate 30 days ahead of schedule. Former U.S. Congressman Andy Jacobs ceremoniously waved a green flag as the State opened the road to cars, trucks, and other vehicles waiting to head northbound on the interstate.

Thanks to meticulous planning and cooperation among government agencies, the news media, the construction team, and the traveling public, the traffic jams that the journalist from The Indianapolis Star predicted never materialized. "Hyperfix," says INDOT Commissioner J. Bryan Nicol, "is an innovative model for repairing metropolitan interstates."

The Beginning

Few questioned the necessity of rebuilding the highway and bridges on the I-65/70 corridor. When the shared Interstate 65/70 corridor first opened in October 1976, it was designed to handle 61,000 vehicles per day. Recent traffic counts by INDOT engineers revealed that more than 175,000 cars and trucks drove this stretch on a daily basis.

Efficiently repairing the busy, deteriorating interstate and its bridges, however, posed a logistical problem. In reviewing its options, INDOT determined that rehabilitating the infrastructure using traditional methods (that is, with partial closures) would take 180 to 200 workdays, possibly requiring two construction seasons, and cost $1 million per day in lost productive time to the highway users. "I directed our engineers to put together a plan to deliver the project in record time," says Commissioner Nicol.

Eventually, INDOT leaders started discussing a total shutdown. Despite disruptions for commuters and other road users, a shutdown would enable the State to complete the project more quickly, safely, and at a reduced cost. More than a year of planning followed with input from all the stakeholders.

Prepping with City Street Repairs

In mid-summer 2002, when Indianapolis began planning for the I-65/70 closure, the city hired traffic consultants to analyze the project's likely impact on city streets. West Street, the local street running parallel to the I-65/70 link, was carrying its design load of 25,000 vehicles daily. The consultant anticipated a doubling to 50,000 vehicles a day during Hyperfix 65/70. Clearly some changes were needed to increase capacity there and at several other chokepoints.

"We had to figure out what we needed to do," says Paul Whitmore, public information officer for the City of Indianapolis' Department of Public Works, "how quickly we could accomplish it, and how we were going to pay for it."

To help Indianapolis prepare its streets for the increased traffic, construction began mid-March 2003, at a hectic pace to finish before Hyperfix 65/70 started at the end of May.

Modifying West Street to increase capacity was the most significant project for the Indianapolis Department of Public Works. The construction contractor added an additional travel lane in each direction by reducing the width of the lanes and cutting into the landscaped median. The contractor also milled the street and put down a new asphalt surface to handle the anticipated heavy truck traffic that normally passes through on the I-65/70 link.

The city added turn lanes, restricted parking during the morning and evening rush hours, and took steps to accommodate additional traffic volumes on corridors connecting the northeastern part of the county to the suburbs. Two key intersections specifically required upgrades to handle the additional volume. One fix involved removing an existing traffic signal to allow free-flowing traffic. The other required removing a concrete median, installing numerous lane shifts, and adding a second right-turn lane. To make sure motorists anticipated the changes, the Indianapolis Department of Public Works posted 600 new signs downtown, on heavily traveled corridors, and as far away as 11 to 13 kilometers (7 to 8 miles) northeast on the restricted left turns.