1418 Macintosh Ct.
Plainfield, Indiana 46168
June 5, 1996

Stan C. Smith
Indiana Department of Transportation
100 North Senate Ave.
Room N755
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2249

Dear Mr. Smith:

I am writing you to congratulate INDOT for a recent project. This is the new West 56th St. bridge over I-465. Not only does this bridge replace a deficient facility, it also incorporates many elements not normally found in INDOT bridge projects. Some of these are:

1). A genuine concern for aesthetics. As might be expected, most INDOT projects are utilitarian in nature. That is not to say that they are ugly, but there is not a lot of effort put into making them attractive. However, the designers of the 56th St. bridge did a great job of incorporating many attractive visual elements into the bridge, including:

• Using a solid concrete support structure in the median of I-465 instead of the traditional "pole style" bridge pilings. Somehow this just looks better and gives a greater sense of solidity to the bridge.
• The median support and the concrete railings both have fine grained grooved etchings. These markings, though not elaborate, give the bridge a richly detailed look and prevent it from presenting monolithic facade of concrete to the highway.
• The steel support beams are painted a chocolate brown. Actually, I am not sure the beams are painted at all. The appearance may just be a natural rust. It is not easy to tell at highway speeds. Whatever the case, this color gives the bridge a natural, earthy look that blends in well with nearby Eagle Creek Park. This color is far better than the baby blue or pale green that is normally used on INDOT bridges.

This new bridge is the most attractive one INDOT has ever produced and you are to be congratulated.

2). Inclusion of pedestrian and bicycle facilities. The new bridge contains both a sidewalk and an extra wide bicycle path. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only interstate bridge in the state that has these. This is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to incorporate multi-modal transportation alternatives into highway projects and again ties in perfectly with nearby Eagle Creek Park.

3). Provision of extra horizontal bridge clearance. The bridge abutments for the new structure were spaced far enough apart to support at least four lanes in each direction on I-465, and perhaps five lanes. This is an important step towards the eventual widening of I-465. Now I realize that the Indianapolis Long Range Transportation Plan does not have I-465 being widened any time in the next 25 years and INDOT is not even doing a study of the matter, but frankly, I believe widening is inevitable at some point if we are to avoid total gridlock on that road. By replacing bridges now in order to provide greater horizontal clearance (as is being done on the Borman Expressway), the cost of future widening can be reduced. Unfortunately, this bridge is one of the few on I-465 where that is being done. I would like to see most bridge rehabilitations on I-465 changed to bridge replacements with enough horizontal clearance for five lanes in each direction on I-465.

When combined with the extensive landscaping already in place, this bridge makes West 56th St. a model interchange for the Indianapolis area. My guess is that most of the things that were done to make this interchange look so good were done out of sensitivity to nearby Eagle Creek Park. However, there is no reason that they cannot be extended to the entire metropolitan area. I encourage you to make the design of the new 56th St. bridge the standard for all future interstate bridges in Indianapolis. The best view many people ever get of Indianapolis is from the window of their car at 55 miles per hour. By using the West 56th St. interchange as a prototype, the visual appearance of the area expressway system can be greatly enhanced at, I believe, a very low cost.

There is only one things that I do not like about this otherwise admirable project. That is the new tower lighting that was installed. These huge towers resemble nothing more than oversized cellular telephone antennas and are very unsightly in urban environments. For me, they conjure up images of rural roadside truck stops and Stuckey’s. Individually mounted light poles are much more attractive and human scaled. They also intrude less on the urban fabric of the city, particularly in areas inside the beltway.

Although I would like to see the lighting towers banished from Marion County, that is only a minor nitpick. The West 56th St. bridge replacement project is one of the best projects in recent INDOT history and you should congratulate yourself, your staff, and especially whoever was responsible for the project’s design.

One other note. As someone who is interested in transportation, I occasionally stop by INDOT’s offices to obtain various documents. I always been treated very courteously and your staff has always been eager to help me in any way they can. Many people view government employees as slothful, indifferent, and rude. I just wanted you to know that I have never encountered that type of attitude at INDOT.

In particular, I would like to make a note of two employees. One is Rebecca Black (or at least that is the name I remember). She works in the Roadway Management department and has often supplied me with traffic volume documents. The other is Carter Keith of the Programming Section. He not only provided me with the documents I wanted, but also spent several minutes answering my questions. Both of these people are doing a great job of working with the public and should be congratulated.

And finally, congratulations to INDOT for switching to concrete barrier walls to separate two way traffic in interstate construction zones. By replacing the thin asphalt strips used last year with more sturdy concrete, I believe the number of accidents and fatalities in Indiana construction zones will be substantially reduced this year. Thank you for putting safety first in construction zones.

Sincerely,

Aaron M. Renn