Work on Section 3 of the I-69 Ohio River Crossing is entering its final months.
Section 3 includes some of the approach roadways and bridges in Evansville. Work started in fall 2024 and will be completed late this year.
The work includes three new approach bridges and approach roadways. The roads and bridges being built now will provide all-weather construction access to the river to build the future I-69 bridge (ORX Section 2).
With nearly all of this area in a flood plain, elevated access will help prevent high water delays during construction of the new bridge.
Crews are building the southbound lanes of the approach bridges now to provide construction access. Northbound lanes of the bridges will be built as part of Section 2.
The three bridges include a total of nearly 200 concrete beams ranging in length from 125 feet to 188 feet long. They are among the largest precast concrete beams used in any construction project in the Midwest.
The longest of the approach bridges is nearly 4,000 feet long. It took four concrete pours to complete the deck of the bridge, each lasting about 12 hours and requiring up to 185 truckloads of concrete.
Pours on two of the three approach bridges are complete. Concrete pours for the deck of the last approach bridge are expected to be complete this summer.
Additional work for the rest of this year includes finishing embankment work, installing bridge joints and finishes, seeding and roadway signage. The final step of the project will shift northbound I-69 traffic south of Green River Road back into its original lane configuration and speed limit.
The new bridges will open to traffic after the new I-69 bridge opens to traffic.
New I-69 Bridge
Price and technical proposals from three teams shortlisted for Section 2 are expected this fall, and the contract is expected to be awarded in late 2026.
Construction on the new I-69 bridge is expected to begin in early 2027 and is scheduled to be completed in 2031.
The project includes constructing seven bridges: the main river crossing, the Kentucky approach, the Indiana approach, and four bridges in Indiana. The U.S. 41 interchange in Henderson will be reconfigured, the U.S. 60 interchange in Henderson will be finished, and the I-69/U.S. 41 interchange in Evansville will be completed.
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