INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Department of Transportation is beginning the process of relocating a centuries-old cemetery Monday morning to make way for the widening of Interstate 69.

The Whitesell Cemetery is currently just feet away from Interstate 465 and I-69, on Indianapolis' northeast side.

There are at least 30 graves in the cemetery. The last burial took place there in 1850.

Archaeologists and anthropologists will begin the process of relocating the bodies, which will be reburied in the pioneer section of Crown Hill Cemetery.

"Today, they will begin with headstone removal," said Megan Tsai, of INDOT. "Later, they will be stripping the top layer of soil with a backhoe."

The excavation process is expected to take about three weeks.

The cemetery is being cleared so three lanes can be added in each direction of a congested portion of I-69. The project is set to begin in 2012.