I-69 extension will begin before 2011

WASHINGTON, Ind. (AP) - State highway officials say construction will be under way by year's end on all segments making up the southern half of the Interstate 69 extension through southwestern Indiana.

The state Department of Transportation said a $14.9 million contract for bridges over the East Fork of the White River between Pike and Daviess counties is the first project in the section between Oakland City and Washington.

Deputy highway commissioner Samuel Sarvis says the agency is working to meet Gov. Mitch Daniels' goal of having the 67-mile stretch of highway between Interstate 64 and the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center open by the end of 2012.

Planning continues on the section from Crane north to Bloomington for the 142-mile highway linking Evansville and Indianapolis.