Kentucky plans 2-month shutdown of I-65 in Louisville in 2026 for overpass replacements

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- All lanes of Interstate 65 between downtown Louisville and the Watterson Expressway will temporarily close next year as part of a multiyear plan to replace highway overpass bridges, state officials said Wednesday.

The first $150 million phase of the much-anticipated "I-65 Central Corridor Project" is scheduled to start around Labor Day and run through mid-2027, with the biggest traffic impacts occurring during two months next summer.

The work involves removing and adding three new elevated sections, or bridges, in the Old Louisville and Saint Joseph neighborhoods over:

Kentucky and Brook streets
An area where Hill Street, a rail line and Burnett Avenue converge
Bradley Avenue near the Kentucky Exposition Center

Those three were built in the late 1950s and are in "poor" condition, according to WDRB News' review of Federal Highway Administration data.

The structures slated for replacement are "the worst of the bridges in this corridor and the ones in most need of repair," said Ed Green, a project spokesperson. Plans call for new earthen embankments, foundations, piers, beams, decks and pavement.

Inspectors have rated the load-bearing superstructure of the span at Kentucky and Brook streets in "serious" condition, which means it has "major defects" and requires regular reviews. Green said the bridge is being inspected every three months and "will continue to undergo more frequent monitoring until it is replaced."

While the preliminary work is set to start soon, the most noticeable period would occur next summer and drastically reshape travel and commuting patterns in the city and region. About 125,000 vehicles a day move through the stretch of I-65 that would close for June and July.

In order to speed up construction and save at least a year, project officials plan to fully close I-65 between I-64 and Jefferson Street in June and July 2026. Traffic would be detoured on I-264 West and I-64 West.

At the Heuser Hearing Institute on E. Kentucky Street, CEO Brett Bachmann said he is frustrated that the construction will have a "deep impact" on the organization's revenue, which helps fund a scholarship program.

Meanwhile, he said, the work will happen as Heuser is raising money to renovate its 136-year-old building in the shadow of I-65.

"But on the other hand, there's really no choice, right? It has to be done," he said. "It's structurally sound now, but these are things that have to get done, and I understand that. Coming from Los Angeles, I've seen it happen a lot."

"They're forced with short term pain and doing as much as quickly as possible, or stretching it out five years," Bachmann said.

Plans now call for I-65 to reopen to limited traffic in August 2026, with some "off-peak" lane closures and other impacts until the work is finished in mid-2027.

Kentucky Transportation Secretary Jim Gray said the decision to close the interstate wasn’t made lightly, "but this option will shrink the construction period considerably to avoid prolonged traffic impacts, and it considers the input of area stakeholders to steer clear of major events."

"We’re committed to doing all we can to coordinate all of our construction projects in the region to keep travelers moving as we work to upgrade our transportation network to improve your commute for decades to come," Gray said in a news release.

Green, the project spokesman, said a full replacement is needed -- not additional repairs. Once built, he said, the new structures would have an anticipated 75-year lifespan.

"KYTC has done work on these bridges for decades, keeping them strong and safe," he said. "We're to the point where it's time to do more than repairs and rehabilitation."

KYTC selected Kiewit Infrastructure South Co. in 2023 to oversee the I-65 project as construction manager and general contractor.

The legislature appropriated the funds for the three bridges in 2024.

Green said state officials have identified three other bridges that need full replacements over the next three years. In all, he said, there are 18 bridges in the I-65 corridor that would be replaced or rehabilitated.

This story may be updated.

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