Northbound I-465 set to reopen soon after 21-day closure

INDIANAPOLIS – Hold on for just another week, and those long lines of traffic through downtown Indianapolis should get much shorter.

The Indiana Department of Transportation is expected to reopen northbound I-465 between I-65 and I-70 by the start of morning rush on Aug. 5.

The southeast interstate corridor closed on July 12 for pavement repairs, joint repairs and bridge deck work. The three-week project shut down one of central Indiana’s most heavily traveled stretches, with northbound traffic rerouted on I-65 and I-70 through downtown Indianapolis.

The following ramps closed as a result of the project:

• Northbound and southbound I-65 to northbound/eastbound I-465
• Eastbound and westbound Washington St./U.S. 40 to northbound I-465
• Eastbound and westbound Brookville Rd./U.S. 52 to northbound I-465
• Southbound Shadeland Ave. to northbound I-465
• Southeastern Ave./Old U.S. 421 to northbound I-465
• I-74 westbound to northbound I-465
• Northbound and southbound Emerson Ave. to eastbound I-465
• Northbound Shadeland Ave. to northbound I-465

INDOT’s official detour called for drivers to use northbound I-65 to eastbound I-70 to get back to northbound I-465. Anyone who’s driven through downtown since the work began has witnessed significant backups from the increased detour traffic.

The closure has allowed INDOT crews to do their jobs without having to worry about oncoming traffic. They’re been able to work around the clock, including at night, seven days a week.

INDOT said the alternative would have involved staggered, localized interstate closings that would’ve spanned a much longer period of time, frustrating drivers and work crews alike.

This marked the second of six phases of I-465 restoration work. The overall project is slated for completion in spring 2025.

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