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Construction Of Section 5 Of I-69 Expected To Cost Less

Last updated on Thursday, August 22, 2013

(BLOOMINGTON) - Construction of the section of Interstate 69 that runs from Bloomington to Martinsville is now expected to cost more than $100 million less than original estimates.

INDOT officials say the 21 mile segment of the interstate that stretches from Bloomington to Martinsville, will cost about $394 million as outlined in the latest Environmental Impact Statement.

INDOT spokesman Will Wingfield says that's because the original budget of between $500 and $545 million assumed the department would have to build new roads throughout the entire section.

Wingfield says crews will reuse the existing pavement, bridges and right of ways to upgrade Ind. 37 to I-69 in section 5

Wingfield says that means the state is saving money because it's reducing the acreage it plans to purchase from homeowners and businesses by 9 percent. The state is also largely paving the additional lanes through the existing median.

But Martinsville Mayor Phil Deckard says he wants to ensure the lower cost does not mean lower quality but he is not going to get alarmed until he learns INDOT's plans and sees something that's just not right during construction.

I-69 construction will uproot about half as many businesses as previously predicted and thirty-two fewer homes than originally thought.

Here's the breakdown of the changes by the numbers:

Cost: $394 million down from $500-545 million
Acres: 327 acres down from 346-373 acres
Homes affected: 119 instead of 151
Businesses affected: 17 instead of 32
Floodplain acres: 75 down from 102-129
Wetland acres: 3 instead of 6-10
Forested acres: 228 instead of 249-256

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