Indiana Department of Transportation Southeast District personnel will train for responding to an earthquake disaster next week. Operations will include route clearing, bridge inspection and building assessments.

Many of these preparedness activities will occur at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center at Butlerville. Authorities say this will cause a noticeable traffic increase between Seymour’s district headquarters, the unit facility at North Vernon and the MUTC.

On Monday and Wednesday, INDOT teams will be deployed from Seymour traveling along U.S. Highway 50 and its bypass at North Vernon to the INDOT unit location. On Tuesday and Thursday, convoys of teams will deploy from the North Vernon unit to the Muscatatuck training area throughout the day via U.S. 50.

Officials say these training programs are conducted each year to assure INDOT readiness for responding to natural disasters.