Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb celebrated the completion of a $4 billion, 142-mile extension of Interstate 69, describing it as a significant achievement 16 years after the project commenced. Former Vice President Mike Pence and former Governor Mitch Daniels joined Holcomb for a ceremony in Indianapolis to inaugurate the opening of Interstate 69’s southbound ramps to Interstate 465 before the northbound ramps are set to open later in the week. Holcomb hailed the completion of the extension’s final section between Martinsville and Indianapolis as a historic milestone, marking the end of the 142-mile construction project connecting Evansville to Indianapolis, which began in 2008. Some additional work on pavement and bridges in the Indianapolis area will continue throughout the year.
Before the extension project, Interstate 69 ran from Port Huron, Michigan, to Indianapolis. With the final link now completed, Interstate 69 extends continuously from Port Huron to Evansville. The project, which unfolded over the terms of Governors Daniels, Pence, and Holcomb, faced legal challenges from environmental groups but ultimately prevailed. Holcomb acknowledged the skeptics and critics of the project, emphasizing that the completion demonstrates that no endeavor is too grand.
Although the extension project commenced in southwestern Indiana in 2008, the construction of the final portion connecting Martinsville and Indianapolis began in 2019. This $2 billion segment upgraded 26 miles of State Road 37 to meet interstate standards and included the construction of 10 new interchanges, as well as over 35 lane miles of local access roads spanning Morgan, Johnson, and Marion Counties.
