I-65 Bridge Over The Wabash River Renamed For Purple Heart Recipient

The Indiana Department of Transportation announces the I-65 bridge over the Wabash River will be renamed for a Purple Heart recipient.

Indiana House Concurrent Resolution 6, which passed during the legislative session earlier this year urges INDOT to rename the bridge on I-65 over the Wabash River in honor of Captain Ronald D. Gutwein.

INDOT, along with Captain Ronald D. Gutwein’s family and HCR 6 authors Rep. Edmond Soliday, Rep. Doug Gutwein, Rep. Jim Pressel, and Rep. Don Lehe held a renaming ceremony on June 15th at the Indiana Veterans’ Home in West Lafayette. The bridge will be renamed the “Captain Ronald D. Gutwein Memorial Bridge.”

Captain Ronald D. Gutwein was born and raised in Francesville, Indiana. The Vietnam War veteran served two tours in Vietnam. He risked his life to deliver essential troops and items for the successful completion of his unit’s missions throughout the war and to evacuate soldiers from danger. He was awarded two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, two Army Commendation Medals, numerous air medals and was nominated for the Distinguished Service Medal, the second-highest decoration for the United States of America awards for heroism.

Captain Ronald D. Gutwein left the army but continued to serve in the Middle East as an aviation safety consultant to U.S. allies and also conducted flying medivac missions for the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota until his untimely death

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About the Indiana Department of Transportation

Over the past 100 years, INDOT has transformed the state of Indiana into the Crossroads of America we know today. With six district offices and 3,500 employees, the agency is responsible for constructing and maintaining more than 29,000 lane miles of highways, more than 5,700 bridges, and supporting 4,500 rail miles and 117 airports across the state. Indiana once again ranked #1 in the U.S. for infrastructure in CNBC’s 2019 “America’s Top States for Business” ranking. Learn more about INDOT at in.gov/indot.

About the Indiana Hands-Free Law

On July 1, 2020, Governor Eric J. Holcomb signed the Indiana Hands-Free Law to reduce distracted driving across the state. Since then, drivers have been prohibited from holding a mobile device while their vehicles are in motion. With help from the Indiana State Police and other law enforcement agencies, over 5,400 citations and more than 10,500 warnings have been issued. For more information on Indiana’s Hands-Free Law, visit www.HandsFreeIndiana.com.