U.S. 40 Opens to Unrestricted Traffic Before Busy Holiday Rush

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - At about 8 p.m. last night, Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) contractors opened all new lanes of U.S. 40/East Washington Street to unrestricted traffic between Franklin Road and Memorial Park Cemetery. Drivers can expect three through lanes in each direction as well as new or extended turn lanes. In an effort to accommodate increased traffic due to holiday shopping, INDOT crews have made efforts to maximize access for businesses along U.S. 40.

Since April, INDOT contractors have been improving and rebuilding East Washington Street from Franklin Road to Memorial Park Cemetery.  INDOT plans to continue widening U.S. 40 on the city's eastside as part of a $20.8 million Major Moves project, finishing in 2010. East Washington Street is being rebuilt in phases to include three through lanes in each direction with new sidewalks and storm sewers. The final phase of the project, rebuilding from Memorial Park Cemetery to Washington Square Mall, starts in spring of 2009 and is followed by landscaping and finishing work.

The Major Moves project is designed to improve safety along East Washington Street by modernizing signs and signals, installing new turn lanes and extending existing turn lanes. INDOT maintains all of Washington Street, also known as the Old National Road, outside the I-465 loop.

Gov. Mitch Daniels' Major Moves highway program capitalizes on Indiana's strategic location at the Crossroads of America by building a superior road infrastructure. When Major Moves is complete in 2015, nearly $12 billion in critical highway projects will have been built. This innovative plan brings jobs to the Hoosier State and leaves a legacy for Indiana to be a global leader in distribution and logistics.