Segment 3

Segment Description
This 142-mile section of I-69 will begin near the I-465/IN-37 interchange on the south side of Indianapolis. It will largely follow the path of the existing 4-lane IN-37 south through Martinsville and Bloomington before the routes diverge southwest of Bloomington. The planned route of I-69 will follow a new terrain path roughly paralleling IN-45 and IN-54 to US-231 near the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center. It continues southwest to US-50 near Washington, then turns south-southwest, paralleling IN-57 to its southern end at the I-64/I-164 interchange. To facilitate planning and construction, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has further divided Segment 3 into six smaller sections labeled from south to north.

Section 1
13 miles. Starts at the I-64/I-164 interchange and proceeds north-northeast, paralleling IN-57 to IN-64 near Oakland City. Governor Mitch Daniels held a groundbreaking ceremony for Section 1 in Evansville on July 16, 2008. The first two miles of roadway from I-64/I-164 to IN-68 near Princeton opened to two-way traffic on September 29, 2009, with full opening expected in late November. To enable the I-69 connection to the existing I-64/I-164 interchange, IN-57 has been rerouted onto I-69 south of IN-68. The former IN-57 alignment south of IN-68 was converted to a cul-de-sac for access to adjacent properties. The 2010-2013 Statewide Transportation Inprovement Plan estimates the cost to build this section at approximately $117 million. Construction financed by Major Moves program.

Section 2
29 miles. Parallels IN-57 from IN-64 near Oakland City to US-50/US-150 near Washington. Initially, a 500-foot bridge was planned where I-69 crosses the Patoka River, but the Tier II DEIS lengthens the bridge to 4400 feet to minimize impactes to the Patoka River and its floodplains. Tier II DEIS released for public review on February 6, 2009. Public hearing was held on March 19, 2009. Tier II FEIS expected in early 2010; ROD expected spring 2010. Initial design and ROW planning has started. The 2010-2013 Statewide Transportation Inprovement Plan estimates the cost to build this section at approximately $389 million. Construction financed by Major Moves program.

Section 3
26 miles. Crosses overland from US-50/US-150 near Washington to US-231 near Crane. Tier II DEIS released for public review on February 6, 2009. Public hearing was held on March 26, 2009. Tier II FEIS issued on 10 December 2009; ROD approved on 2 February 2010. ROW acquisition ongoing and bid letting process underway. Groundbreaking expected April 2010. The 2010-2013 Statewide Transportation Inprovement Plan estimates the cost to build this section at approximately $292 million. Construction financed by Major Moves program.

Section 4
27 miles. Crosses overland, paralleling IN-45 and IN-54 from US-231 near Crane to IN-37 southwest of Bloomington. Includes a planned "systems interchange" with IN-37 on the southwest side of Bloomington, enabling high speed freeway-to-freeway movement between the two highways. Tier II DEIS expected to be released in spring 2010. FEIS expected by early 2011 with ROD anticipated in spring 2011. Depending on available funding, INDOT plans to begin construction in 2013, with completion tentatively scheduled for 2017. The 2010-2013 Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan estimates the cost to build this section at approximately $740 million. Section scheduled for completion in 2014 and for a cost of $400 million; completed December 9, 2015 at a cost of $471 million; completion was delayed slightly due to inclement weather and the unique karst topography of the area.

Section 5
21 miles. Will utilize the IN-37 alignment from Bloomington to IN-39 near Martinsville. The preferred alternative is to upgrade the existing 4-lane IN-37 to interstate standards. Tier II DEIS being prepared. Final EIS and ROD issued October 7, 2013. The 2010-2013 Statewide Transportation Inprovement Plan estimates the cost to build this section at approximately $425 million. INDOT completed the SR-37 upgrades and signed the segment as I-69 on October 31, 2018.

Section 6
26 miles. Will utilize the IN-37 alignment from IN-39 near Martinsville to approximately 1.5 miles south of I-465 near Indianapolis, where I-69 will proceed due north (instead of following IN-37 northeast) to a new systems interchange with I-465 about a mile west of the current I-465/IN-37 interchange. The preferred alternative is to upgrade the existing 4-lane IN-37 to interstate standards. Tier II DEIS being prepared as of 2016-2018. Final EIS and ROD issued February 8, 2018. The 2010-2013 Statewide Transportation Inprovement Plan estimates the cost to build this section at approximately $750 million. Including right-of-way costs, project is estimated to cost $1.6 billion. INDOT expects to complete the SR-37 upgrades and sign the segment as I-69 by 2024; previous timeline was 2027. Section is now fully funded; comes from money's already secured (at least $164 million) plus 35 percent hike on trucks and other large vehicles (2+ axles) travelling on Indiana Toll Road in a deal that would raise $5.1 billion. Indiana Finance Authority approved the new toll road lease deal on September 20, 2018. Lane count will slowly go up from 4 to 8: four (two each way) from SR-39 to Smith Valley Road; six lanes (three each way) from Smith Valley Road to Southport Road and eight lanes (four each way) from Southport Road to the new I-69/I-465 interchange.

To facilitate a deadline by 2024, INDOT had to close SR 37 in Martinsville during the 2021 construction season; road became closed to traffic effective January 2 and is expected to last 10 months (until November 2021). This allows the contractor to work in a faster and safer way in which limiting access would not. Improvements to the lengthy detour route have since been completed, which follows State Roads 39, 67, and 144. Northbound detour is as follows: SR-39, SR-67, SR-144. Southbound traffic does the opposite. The closure runs from State Route 39 to East Morgan Street (6 miles), while State Road 37 from State Road 144 to East Morgan Street (for local traffic) and Interstate 69 are each down to one lane each way. Interstate 65 is another option to avoid this mess. Long-distance travelers are advised to use this route instead.

Once completed, there won't be any more traffic signals in Martinsville. But, there will be three exits plus one overpass: State Road 39 (interchange), Grand Valley Boulevard (overpass), Hospital Drive/State Road 252 (interchange), and Reuben Drive/State Road 44 (interchange).