INDOT plans I-70 lane, shoulder closures 

Significant pavement patching and other projects are scheduled for Wayne County’s Interstate 70 starting this week. 

Those shoulder and lane closures are to be completed before Christmas, and before extensive construction begins early next year. 

Indiana Department of Transportation officials say the patching work is outside of the first planned improvements for Revive I-70, but the work is taking place now because of the pavement’s condition.

Anticipated schedules are subject to change based on weather and other factors.

What’s first

This week, crews will start performing soil borings and pavement coring on Wayne County’s eastern side for the first phase of Revive I-70. 

Those tasks will be taking place from west of U.S. 35 to the Ohio state line.

Anytime on or after Monday, Oct. 28, through Friday, Nov. 8, daytime shoulder closures are planned throughout the 8-mile corridor.

Then, from Monday, Nov. 11, through Thursday, Nov. 14, overnight shoulder closures and single-lane restrictions are scheduled. 

Pavement patching

Asphalt patching is expected to begin in November on a separate 3.5-mile corridor from west of Centerville to U.S. 35. 

Two weeks of single-lane restrictions are planned on westbound I-70 in November.

Then, two weeks of single-lane restrictions will follow in December on eastbound I-70.

INDOT officials say the lane restrictions will allow the work to be completed faster, preventing prolonged work and extended delays. 

These closures are planned on or after the following dates:

• Friday, Nov. 8, to Friday, Nov. 15: Left lane of westbound I-70 
• Nov. 15 to Nov. 22: Right lane of westbound I-70
• Dec. 6 to Dec. 13: Left lane of eastbound I-70 
• Dec. 13 to Dec. 20: Right lane of eastbound I-70

Lane closures are scheduled to begin around 9 p.m. each Friday and end by noon the following Friday. 

No work is scheduled the week of Nov. 25. All lanes are to be open to help prevent delays for Thanksgiving travelers. 

Pavement patching is expected to be complete by Friday, Dec. 20, with all lanes back open to traffic.

Significant delays are anticipated while work is in progress, and drivers are reminded to plan ahead and avoid distractions in the work zone.

INDOT says that over the past decade, 269 people have been killed in crashes in highway worksites or in worksite backups in Indiana. In 2023 alone, 33 people were killed and more than 1,750 were injured in INDOT work zones. Four out of five people killed in work zones are either drivers or their passengers. 

Revive I-70 improvements in Wayne County that are to start early next year include an added travel lane in each direction, pavement replacement, bridge improvements and modifications to the U.S. 35 and U.S. 40 interchanges.