INDOT’s $150M Lloyd4U Reduces Conflict Points : CEG

Construction crews in Indiana are wrapping up work on the westbound lanes of three new bridges on a $150 million project that is expected to make travel on the Lloyd Expressway safer, more efficient and with fewer conflict points. The Lloyd4U project features 12 improvements including pavement replacement, new intersection designs and new bridges. New intersections will feature updated traffic signal movements that should save drivers time and headaches.

“Instead of having to give green light time to a left turn phase and to a through movement phase, you can do all of those at the same time, because your left turns are moved to the outside of the facility, your left turns and your through movement can happen at the same time,” Nicole Minton, public outreach manager of the Lochmueller Group, told Construction Equipment Guide. “So now we’re going to give green light time to all of those movements.

So, for example, instead of giving a minute to left turns and two minutes to through movement, now we’re going to give three minutes to everything. You’re doubling the amount of green light time and the number of vehicles that can move through the intersection in the same amount of time.”

The contractor for the west side projects is Ragle Inc. The east side contract is with JBI Construction Inc.

The bridge rehabilitation work is taking place on SR 62 (Lloyd Expressway) over Tekoppel Avenue, Evansville Western (CSX) Railroad and Carpentier Creek. This is the first state route to feature T-WALL construction and only the second T-WALL construction in the state, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) website.

“T-WALL, with its precast panel and stem creating a T-shape, act as gravity-retaining wall systems allowing usage in locations such as adjacent to a railroad or creek where other retaining wall systems should not be used. The walls are sturdier, more durable and more flexible in limited-space situations that require hand or small-equipment compaction.”

Lochmueller Group photo

Minton noted an additional benefit is that the T-WALLs are built off-site and trucked in allowing construction to continue through the winter.

Construction on the project, slated for completion in 2028, began in June 2024 and to date has proceeded with only a few interruptions. The budget is intact and there have been a few minor expenditures that were unanticipated, but overall, the budget has not needed to increase.

“The subject that’s taken the greatest coordination has been utility relocations,” Minton said. “There have been a couple of things where we’ve had to pivot on the design in particular locations because of some unexpected things that were uncovered as we started to move some of the utilities and right sizing some of the drainage components that were part of the project. They haven’t impacted the overall schedule, but they’ve certainly been things that we’ve had to accommodate that weren’t anticipated.”

The most important consideration of the project has been traffic management. INDOT has attempted to manage changes, such as new lane configurations, through a major education campaign geared toward keeping the public advised of what to expect along with tips to mitigate potential problems.

“We always warn people in those first days after we shift lanes that it’s going to take a little while,” Minton said. “We tell people to take a little extra time moving through those sections when they’re unsure of what they’re doing next and just making sure that they take time to look at the signs and follow the pavement markings. In those first few days after we make the switch, there’s usually some added delays, but once we get a few days out, we start to see things kick back up to their normal pace. We’re also encouraging drivers to use things like the zipper merge, waiting in their lane until the merge point, and then alternating turns. It’s a tough concept for people because everyone wants to be prepared and move over to the lane that’s going to stay open, and then they get frustrated when people stay in that lane. So, some of those education components have been really important.”

Lochmueller Group photo

This fall, Lloyd4U project team welcomed college students from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapter of the University of Evansville for an up-close look at the work being done. This site visit gave the aspiring professionals an immersive look at on-site construction and offered them the opportunity to ask engineering professionals questions, according to the website.

“We’ve really loved having the opportunity to bring some folks in to see the unique and innovative types of projects that are happening associated with the Lloyd,” Minton said. “It’s not often that we see this many improvements being done simultaneously. We have multiple different kinds of improvements, where you have a displaced left turn, boulevard left turns and reduced conflict intersections all within one project. So, we really enjoy having the opportunity to take these future leaders of the industry and bring them out and show them boots on the ground what it looks like to be working on a project of this size.” CEG