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Man voices concern about speed in I-69 construction zone

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — One man living near a construction project that has been repeatedly delayed is voicing his concerns over safety.

“We’ve had a lot of problems with speeding,” said Andrew Long.

He lives off of Winery Road and State Road 37 in the I-69 Section 5 construction zone between Martinsville and Bloomington. The speed limit for that stretch of road is 60 miles per hour, but to the north and south it is 45 miles per hour. He wants the entire stretch to be 45 miles per hour.

He says part of the issue is that because that stretch of road is 60 miles per hour, cars tend to speed up to make up for the time spent in the 45 miles per hour zones. He also said there have been a number of close calls as he tries to turn on his street because there is not a turn lane and people don’t slow down.

“I’m just worried that it’s gonna get worse and I don’t want to see a neighbor or a friend or someone from around here killed,” Long said.

According to the Indiana State Police, it is up to engineers at INDOT to determine if it would be beneficial to have a 45 mile per hour speed limit in that stretch of road.

However, INDOT says the I-69 Development Partners, the group behind the project, is responsible for maintaining traffic flow in the construction zone.

24-Hour News 8 reached out to I-69 Development Partners about the construction zone, but have yet to hear back.

But a spokesperson for INDOT reached out to I-69 Development Partners and was told there is no reasonable justification to reduce the speed limit because construction has not occurred in the stretch of road and there have been no changes to the existing conditions.

However, the area near Winery Road will eventually include a new alignment and will be shifted west for Southbound traffic, according to what the I-69 Development Partners told INDOT.

According to INDOT, I-69 Development Partners says once construction begins in close proximity to that roadway, that stretch of road will become a 45 mile per hour zone.

There is no word on when that will be.

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