The Indiana Department of Transportation reminds Hoosiers to travel safely and plan more driving time during the busy Thanksgiving travel holiday. AAA projects 50.9 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving from November 22 through November 26, a 3.3 percent increase over last year. Hoosier Helpers sponsored by State Farm will patrol urban interstates in Indianapolis, Northwest Indiana and Southern Indiana near Louisville during heavy travel periods this holiday.

Most highway maintenance activities and construction projects will halt work this holiday weekend to increase roadway mobility and safety. INDOT directs its contractors to pull back barriers and barricades to the safest extent possible to accommodate the anticipated increase in traffic. Some restrictions will remain in place due to ongoing road construction, including:

Northern Indiana

I-469 is restricted to one lane in each direction between mile markers 11 and 17 in Allen County.

Lane closures will remain in effect on westbound I-80/94 between mile marker 3 and mile marker 12 as work continues on the Restore 94 project in Lake County.

The entrance ramp to I-94 at S.R.51 (Exit 15B) will remain closed for the next 3 weeks.

Both directions of I-94 are reduced to two lanes between mile marker 16 and U.S. 20 in Porter County.

The left lane of I-94 in both directions will be closed between mile marker 26 and 27 until noon on Wednesday, November 22.

Central Indiana

The I-465 East and I-465 West ramps to I-65 North remain closed for the duration of construction at the interchange on the south side of Indianapolis. A signed detour directs traffic south on I-65 to Southport Road Exit 103 to return northbound on I-65. I-65 and I-465 lane closures will resume Monday, Nov. 27. Both interstates may be reduced to one lane between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Weather permitting, construction is expected to be substantially complete, with all lanes and ramps open to traffic by the end of November.

I-69 lane closures for paving on the added travel lane construction project between State Road 37 Exit 205 and State Road 38 Exit 219 will resume Monday, Nov. 27. I-69 may be reduced to one lane each weeknight between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. and weekends from 7 p.m. until 9 a.m. The additional lanes are expected to open in December.

Watch for lane shifts on I-65 in both directions as construction of added travel lanes continues in Tippecanoe County.

Southern Indiana

Northbound I-65 traffic is sharing the southbound side between mile markers 8 and 11 in Clark County. Two lanes are open in each direction.

Entrance and exit ramps are closed on westbound I-74 at S.R.101 (Exit 156) in Ripley County. To reach S.R. 101, westbound traffic on I-74 should use the S.R.1 exit and follow eastbound I-74 to return to S.R.101.

Intermittent lane closures will remain in effect on the U.S. 41 Twin Bridges over the Ohio River near Evansville.

Know before you go

Learn about traffic and road conditions, crashes and construction on state highways by visiting http://indot.carsprogram.org, calling 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or dialing 511 from a mobile phone.

Subscribe to receive INDOT news and information by text message or email at http://bit.ly/INDOTsubscription. Find links to INDOT’s regional Facebook and Twitter pages at http://bit.ly/INDOTsocial.

Find customer service contact information for your regional INDOT district at https://entapps.indot.in.gov/dotmaps/districtmaps.

Increased enforcement

Starting later this week, Indiana State Police (ISP) will join more than 230 local law-enforcement agencies across the state to spot violations to Indiana’s seat belt and impaired driving laws. Through the weekend after Thanksgiving, expect to see an increase in random patrols, saturation patrols and checkpoints. This overtime enforcement is supported with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) funds administered by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI).

It’s the law

In every state, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. In Indiana, drivers under 21 with a BAC of .02 or higher are subject to fines and a license suspension for up to 1 year.

Indiana has a primary seat-belt law, meaning that police officers may ticket unrestrained drivers or passengers, even if no other traffic violation has taken place. In addition, all passengers under age 8 must be in an approved car seat or booster seat.

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, millions of people will be travelling on Indiana’s Roadways. Across the United States the National Safety Council estimates 421 people may be killed and another 48,500 may be seriously injured in car crashes during the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday Period.

As we celebrate the Thanksgiving Day Holiday, the Indiana State Police wants to make sure there are no empty seats at your dinner table. Troopers will watch for impaired drivers, motorists who speed, follow too closely, make unsafe lane changes, drive aggressively, and fail to buckle up or properly restrain their children.

All occupants of a motor vehicle, including pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles are required to be secured in a seat belt or child safety seat in every seating position.   

Indiana State Police Motor Carrier Certified Troopers will also be working throughout the holiday weekend focusing on commercial motor vehicle violations.  

Some safety tips:

• If you are planning to travel make sure you are well rested, a fatigued driver is a dangerous driver.
• Avoid tailgating; remember the two-second rule.
• Make sure everyone is buckled up.
• Put down the electronic devices and drive.
• MOVE OVER, SLOW DOWN for emergency and highway service vehicles.

Don’t Drink and Drive during Thanksgiving!

SaferRide, NHTSA’s Mobile App!

NHTSA’s SaferRide app will help keep drunk drivers off our roads by allowing users to call a taxi or a friend and by identifying their location so they can be picked up.

Indiana State Parks is offering a Black Friday discount unlike any other sale you’d find at big-box retailers.

Hoosiers can #optoutside to enjoy the outdoors with discounts and opportunities to win 2018 state park passes and other prizes.

Three Black Friday discounts are available to everyone, although two require downloading a coupon. The discounts only apply to Black Friday, Nov. 24. They are:

• Free admission to any state park or reservoir that charges gate admission on that day. Download a coupon from the Indiana State Parks Facebook page beginning Nov. 15.
• Twenty percent off a meal at an Indiana State Park Inn. Download a coupon from the Indiana State Parks Facebook page beginning Nov. 15.
• A discount on toboggan rental at Pokagon State Park. Rental will be $13 for 90 minutes instead of the usual $13 per hour. Learn more at tobogganrun.com.

People who visit a state park, state reservoir or state forest recreation area on Black Friday can engage in social media and participate in a scavenger hunt to be entered in drawings for prizes. The drawings are:

• Post a photo to the Indiana State Parks Facebook page from your Black Friday visit to be entered into a drawing for annual passes, lake permits and more. Include the hashtag #optoutside or #optoutsideIN.
• Post a photo to the Indiana State Parks Facebook page of you and your friends or family camping or staying at an Indiana State Park Inn on Black Friday to be entered into a drawing for camping or inns gift cards. Include the hashtag #optoutside, #optoutsideINN or #optoutsideCAMP with your post.
• Complete an #optoutside scavenger hunt at stateparks.IN.gov/3282.htm and return it to the email or address on the page to be entered in a separate drawing for 2018 annual passes.
• Everyone who posts a photo or participates in the scavenger hunt will be entered into a grand prize drawing for a gift pack from the outdoor gear retailer REI in Castleton. The local REI store is a supporter of the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation and Indiana State Parks.

Hit the outdoors after you are finished shopping to decompress or just go straight outdoors.

Outdoor gear retailer REI started the #optoutside initiative in 2015, announcing it would close its stores on Black Friday to encourage people to experience nature instead of waiting in long lines at cash registers. For more information, visit rei.com/opt-outside.

Santa’s Mailbox is back in Orleans.

The special “Santa Mailbox” is set up in front of the Chamber of Commerce office on the north side of the town square for all area children to mail their “Postcards for Santa.”

Special postcards are now available FREE at a number of Orleans businesses.

All cards collected will be forwarded on to the big guy at the North Pole.