HANCOCK COUNTY — Shelbey Rea has always known the bridges along Interstate 70 between Hancock and Henry counties need a little attention.
Weather, semi-trailers and 70-mile-per-hour traffic have left their mark; her car rattles every time she hits a dip or pothole.
That said, the Greenfield resident — among some 42,000 drivers who travel on I-70 between State Road 9 and the Henry County line daily — isn’t looking forward to dealing with several months of construction during her daily commute to New Castle.
This spring, the Indiana Department of Transportation will invest about $7.2 million in rehabbing and rebuilding bridges along I-70 between Hancock and Henry counties, an effort that will bring reduced speeds and occasional lane closures.
Repairs are slated to start this spring, with all work completed by November, according to an INDOT news release; Milestone Contractors of Indianapolis has been tapped to complete the work.
An exact construction timeline will be finalized after INDOT officials meet with contractors, said Nathan Riggs, information director for the Indiana Department of Transportation.
In all, five bridges in Hancock and two in Henry counties will be repaired or rehabbed as part of the contract; speed limits in the construction area will be reduced, and traffic will be reconfigured, the news release states.
While construction is ongoing, the speed limit, normally 70 miles per hour between Hancock County and Henry County, will decrease to 50 miles per hour. When workers are in the area, the speed limit will drop to 45, a news release states.
Specifics on traffic restrictions have yet to be announced; they’ll be finalized after the contractor submits a project schedule, Riggs said.