State Road 145 to close near Birdseye for culvert replacements

INDOT will close State Road 145 near Birdseye around Wednesday, July 29 for culvert replacement projects, adding another disruption to a corridor that has already seen repeated work in Dubois County. INDOT Southwest said the project is intended to improve infrastructure safety and mobility, but the notice did not include a detour route or a completion date.

For drivers who use SR 145 to move between Birdseye, State Road 64 and I-64, the missing details matter. Without an official detour, workers heading to early shifts, parents making school runs and farm traffic moving equipment or supplies will have to wait for a clearer traffic plan before they can measure how much extra time the closure will add.

The Birdseye area has already dealt with multiple SR 145 shutdowns. A separate closure began around Friday, May 15 south of Birdseye, between County Road West 900 South and East Borden Hill Road. Another SR 145 closure followed around Monday, July 10 near Birdseye between State Road 64 and I-64, where crews were set to complete seven pipe replacement projects.

That pattern has turned SR 145 into a recurring work zone rather than a single short-term project. The latest culvert replacement notice makes no mention of whether nearby roads in western Dubois County will shoulder extra traffic once the closure begins, or whether additional restrictions will follow after the culvert work is finished.

For Birdseye residents and anyone traveling through the county’s southern tier, the immediate question is not just when crews will start but how long the interruption will last. Until INDOT publishes a detour and an end date, the closure leaves daily travel plans unsettled on one of the county’s most important north-south routes.