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Last updated on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
(UNDATED) - I-69 is sinking and repairs are scheduled for late April or early May on a portion of the newly opened Interstate 69 extension that has already sunk several inches, INDOT officials said.
The sinking occurred on the lead-up to the Patoka River Bridge - a 250-foot stretch of highway built atop a recently-mined area near the Gibson and Pike county line.
The repairs will take place as the state prepares to close out its contracts with construction companies that built the 67-mile stretch of highway that opened late last year.
Though it's not yet clear whether the state or its contractors will foot the bill, the repairs are scheduled for the spring because that's when temperatures will rise enough to allow for paving, said Will Wingfield, the Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman.
As the state drew up plans for the 142-mile highway extension, its project team studied soil samples, and construction contractors performed a process called "deep dynamic compaction" that involved dropping a 15-ton weight from 30 feet in the air.
Contractors used dark asphalt rather than lighter-colored concrete to pave those sections.
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