State Road 145 closure near Birdseye continues during three-culvert replacement
State Road 145 near Birdseye is closed while the Indiana Department of Transportation replaces three box culverts, changing the route for through traffic in Dubois County and extending the disruption into the fall.
The closed section runs between County Road West 900 South and East Borden Hill Road. The closure was reported May 8, 2026, and the report was updated May 15. The work is expected to continue through the beginning of November 2026, weather permitting.
Detour and local access
Drivers who normally use the affected stretch of SR 145 should follow the official detour through Interstate 64, State Road 37 and State Road 64. The route applies to through traffic and requires drivers to plan for a longer trip while the culvert work continues.
Local traffic can travel up to the closure point. Birdseye is not completely inaccessible from the affected corridor, but drivers cannot continue through the closed segment on SR 145.
Crews are replacing one culvert at a time to preserve local access during the project. That work plan allows traffic to reach the closure point while the three structures are replaced, but it does not provide a route through the full closed section.
What the project affects
The project is near Birdseye in Dubois County, on the SR 145 corridor between the two county-road landmarks. The Birdseye wastewater facility is also located on the affected corridor, making access along that stretch part of the local transportation picture during the closure.
INDOT’s project documentation identifies the work as an SR 145 small-structure replacement project in the Birdseye area. The currently reported work is specifically the replacement of three box culverts, rather than a full reconstruction of the roadway.
The closure matters for residents and other local travelers who use SR 145 to reach homes, businesses and facilities along the corridor. Commuters and businesses using the road for through travel must account for the official detour, while local drivers can use SR 145 only up to the closure point. Emergency planners also have to account for the altered route during the project.
No exact reopening date listed
The expected schedule reaches into early November 2026, but it is weather-dependent and is not a guaranteed reopening deadline. The approved project information does not provide a specific day when the road will reopen.
The approved packet also does not include a newer August status update confirming the construction phase. Drivers should therefore rely on the stated detour and should not assume that the road will reopen on a particular date.
For now, through traffic should use I-64, SR 37 and SR 64. Local traffic can continue toward SR 145 as far as the closure point while INDOT’s one-culvert-at-a-time replacement work proceeds.
Sources
- Traffic Alert: State Road 145 closes Friday in Dubois Co., WFIE 14 News
- SR 145 Small Structure Replacement Public Information, Indiana Department of Transportation
Look for updates to this story
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