Construction on the Lloyd Expressway began at the start of Spring 2024. It has led to recent road closures on the west side of the Lloyd Expressway and delays for commuters arriving to campus.
According to TheLloyd4U webpage, the project aims to begin over a dozen construction projects along the Lloyd Expressway to improve traffic in the city. The Indiana Department of Transportation invested over $150 million in the construction improvement project.
University Parkway will have new pavement replaced on the overpass intersection. The following road, Schutte Road, will have a new lane for left-turning vehicles.
Nicole Minton, public outreach manager for TheLloyd4U project, said the construction projects are a mixture of solutions to improve traffic flow and efficiency on the Lloyd Expressway. The solutions include changes to intersections, pavement replacements and bridge replacements.
“We’re doing some minor improvements to the University Parkway,” Minton said.
She said the phases of the construction project timeline go through 2028, and not all construction projects will end at the same time.
Information on how to receive text and email updates can be found on the TheLloyd4U website.
Minton said receiving updates on the Lloyd will be a “valuable tool” to know current changes on the Loyd.
“Looking at your schedule and deciding when you want to leave to get to campus might be important, especially if you have to drive during those early morning commute times or later in the evening,” Minton said. “If you can avoid those times and give yourself a little extra time to be prepared for any sort of changes, that happen would be really useful.”
Students expressed concerns about traffic in Evansville due to the ongoing construction on the Lloyd Expressway.
Olivia Sams, senior psychology major, said when she leaves campus late in the afternoons, it causes her some delay.
“It’s down to one lane, so everyone’s trying to merge over into the left lane, and people don’t know how to use their turn signals and don’t want to let you in,” Sams said. “That’s honestly one of the most stressful parts of my day. I dread it, knowing that I have to leave here and fight to get into that one lane.”
Sams said the construction project is a “little unnecessary.”
“If they need to focus on anything, it’s filling in potholes,” Sams said. “And it seems like they’re doing a lot of tree clearing on the sides of the Lloyd right by campus, and I don’t really understand the need for that.”
Timothy Brenner, freshman civil engineering major, said the construction does not affect him, as he lives in New Harmony.
“I don’t know much about the construction going around, but I figure if it’s gotten to the point where they’re starting, it’s probably worth something, especially when it will be finished,” Brenner said.
Brenner said trying to merge into a lane affects him on his way to work.
“It adds maybe a couple of minutes to my journey, but I haven’t been too mad at it,” he said.
Abby Rittichier, freshman elementary education major, said the recent construction on the Lloyd Expressway is annoying.
“I have places I gotta be in a certain amount of time, and getting there with all of the construction and then being completely stopped on the road is not fun,” Rittichier said.
She said she does not know what the construction involves.
“I get the roads are gonna get messed up, and eventually, you’re gonna have to fix the roads,” Rittichier said. “But I mean, adding a couple of lanes somewhere would be all right, but I’m not a big genius on traffic.”
Minton said the project began in 2019 and “does all sorts of different improvements.”
To learn more about TheLoyd4U construction projects, the website contains maps, photos and videos showing how to navigate changes.
