The I-80/94 FlexRoad project is moving closer to construction. It's designed to improve traffic flow on Indiana's busiest interstate corridor.
Indiana Department of Transportation Project Manager Mike Yacullo gave an update to the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission's Transportation Committee on Tuesday. "I believe some of our count stations are getting very close to 200,000 cars a day, with 30 percent of that being trucks," Yacullo said.
Plans include upgrading shoulders, so they can be used as another travel lane part of the time, and reconfiguring the interchange with I-65. That would involve widening the ramp from eastbound I-80/94 to southbound I-65 to three lanes, while increasing the weaving area by closing the current ramp from northbound Broadway to eastbound I-80/94. Northbound traffic would still be able to get on eastbound I-80/94 by turning left onto what's currently the southbound ramp.
The other big change is new signage that'll be able to alert motorists of upcoming traffic hazards, close individual lanes and adjust each lane's speed limit. "If there's a crash five miles ahead, we may try to post slower speed limits ahead of that crash, so that the platoon doesn't run up at it full-speed," Yacullo explained.
Yacullo said the first step will be installing new fiber optic cable along the highway to send information to the new signs. That work is now expected to start in August. Installation of the signage gantries and pavement work is currently expected to start in 2026 and wrap up by the end of 2028. Most of the lane closures would take place overnight.
The Transportation Committee approved some procedural steps by updating an air quality determination, the NWI 2050+ plan and the transportation improvement program. Those recommendations now go to NIRPC's Executive Board for further consideration.
Northwest Indiana's interstates often missed travel time reliability targets in 2024, according to information presented to the Transportation Committee on Tuesday. Some of the biggest problem areas were I-80/94 eastbound from the state line to Indianapolis Boulevard and westbound from I-65 to Kennedy. The flow of traffic was impacted by construction projects for much of last year.
