The Indiana Department of Transportation is suspending road construction during the holiday travel period, but motorists are still urged to allow extra time to reach their weekend destinations.
The Thanksgiving travel period officially begins today and continues through midnight Sunday. During that time AAA predicts nearly 1 million travelers will hit Indiana’s roads. That’s a 2-percent increase over last year.
Newly-opened bridges and interchanges will welcome Thanksgiving travelers. A U.S. 31 traffic signal is being replaced with a $10.8 million exit at State Road 28, which will serve Tipton and a FCA US transmission plant.
Last week I-65 Ohio River bridges and improved interstate connections in Louisville and southern Indiana opened to traffic. Later this year the new and refurbished I-65 bridges will begin using all-electric tolling, which should keep traffic moving.
INDOT advises some lane restrictions and barriers will remain in place for motorist safety. They include I-65 lane shifts near Lafayette, south of Indianapolis and just north of the Indiana/Kentucky state line; I-69 lane shifts between Fishers and Pendelton; lane reductions on State Road 37 from Bloomington to just south of Martinsville and on U.S. 41 near Vincennes, including the U.S. 50 interchange.
Information about traffic and road conditions, crashes and construction on state highways can be found online at http://indot.carsprogram.org or by calling 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or dialing 511 from a mobile phone when it is safe to do so.
