Final FlexRoad environmental document available for review Construction to start spring 2026
The environmental document for 80/94 FlexRoad is final and available for review on the project website. A Categorical Exclusion Level 4 (CE-4) document was prepared. It includes all environmental documentation and preliminary design information for the project.
The final document also includes responses to comments received during the formal comment period. Two public hearings, one in Hammond, IN and one in Homewood, IL, were held in July and the comment period ran through Aug. 8, 2025.
Construction to Begin This Spring
80/94 FlexRoad is an Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) project in coordination with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). The project includes the implementation of Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) strategies to optimize the safety and efficiency of the existing I-80/I-94 corridor. Also known as the Borman Expressway, the 14-mile corridor spans from the I-65 and I-80/I-94 interchange in Lake County, IN to the I-80/I-94 and IL-394 interchange in Cook County, IL.
Construction is expected to begin this spring and last through 2029, and systems should be operational by late 2029. Work includes fiber optic improvements throughout the corridor, modifications at the I-65 and Broadway interchanges with I-80/I-94, concrete pavement restoration, installation of gantry structures over I-80/I-94, and drainage improvements. Four lanes of I-80/I-94 will be open in both directions most of the time, and a minimum of two lanes will be open in both directions during overnight work.
The project will implement integrated Active Traffic Management (ATM) and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) solutions including new digital message signs (DMS), variable speed limits, dynamic lane control, dynamic shoulder lanes, queue warning, and ramp metering throughout the project corridor.
The innovative strategies will help reduce travel time, increase reliability, and improve safety along the busy corridor.
More information about the project and TSMO strategies is available on the project website at IndianaFlexRoad.com.
Procurement of Materials is Underway
With construction quickly approaching, INDOT is beginning to acquire materials for the job. Nearly 70 new gantry structures will be constructed along the corridor to support new DMS boards.
Improved fiber optics throughout the corridor will support communication to all existing and future ITS along the corridor, including each of the nearly 40 new DMS boards. More than 250,000 linear feet (LF) of fiber optic cable and more than 100,000 LF of microduct conduit are being procured for the project. More than 60 ITS handholes and 90 vaults used for accessing and protecting buried fiber optic cables will be installed. They provide space to splice additional fiber optic cable drops and perform repairs on the network and store extra cable.
Design for the gantries and more details on the procurement, fabrication, and shipping process for the large structures are being finalized.
INDOT entered into a Construction Manager General Contractor (CMGC) agreement with Superior Construction Co., Inc. in March 2025 to provide preconstruction services for the project. INDOT is expected to award a contract for the construction phase of the project in April 2026.