The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) expects to reopen State Road 38 at US 31 by noon on Tuesday, August 28.  The US 31 interchange ramps will remain closed, but SR 38 will be open to through traffic.

Milestone Contractors closed SR 38 between Anthony Road (1 mile east of US 31) and Dunbar Road (1/2 mile west of US 31) on May 1 to reconstruct the highway, improve sight distance and connect the interchange ramps.  The closure was expected to last until September 1, but Milestone will reopen the highway almost a week early.

INDOT and Milestone plan to open the interchange ramps by October and complete all work on the project by November.  State Road 38 will have a work zone speed limit of 35 miles per hour through the remainder of the project.

The $19.6 million interchange construction contract at the former intersection of US 31 and SR 38 is part of the new US 31 Hamilton County initiative to upgrade US 31 to freeway standards from I-465 to SR 38.  When the interchange is complete, twin two-lane bridges on US 31 will overpass SR 38, and a ramp system will connect the two highways.  The northbound US 31 bridge opened to traffic in December 2011; the southbound bridge is expected to be finished this year.

INDOT will bundle remaining construction phases for the new US 31 Hamilton County into one contract for bid later this year.  The new interstate-quality freeway is expected to open to traffic by the end of 2015, which is three years earlier than was previously anticipated.

For more information on the new US 31 Hamilton County, visit www.US31HamiltonCounty.in.gov.