Blasting begins Tuesday to widen I-264 near new VA Hospital in east Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Drivers on Interstate 264 should expect rolling roadblocks and loud noise this week as blasting operations begin in eastern Jefferson County.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said daily blasting operations will begin the week of Aug. 25 for the $130 million improvement project of I-264 and U.S. 42 (Brownsboro Road).

However, signs on I-264 read that blasting begins Tuesday, Aug. 26.

Intermittent rolling roadblocks will be required during blasting to prepare the interstate for widening. These roadblocks will take place near the I-264/71 interchange and may last up to 20 minutes once per day between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

An updated from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet on Tuesday said the first blasting operation would be at approximately 2 p.m. Drivers on I-264 can expect a roadblock about that time.

"It's been difficult to get through the traffic up here," said Don Wilson, who has lived nearby in the Northfield community for 50 years.

Wilson and other neighbors have dealt with traffic headaches for several years now.

"Northfield is a great place," another Northfield resident, Trish Martin, said Monday. "We just have to move on with this construction and get 'er done."

Martin, Wilson, other neighbors and businesses in the area aren't strangers to the traffic, construction and blasting.

Just three years ago, non-KYTC blasting for the VA Hospital damaged nearby homes and cars.

"It was pretty scary, actually," Anna Maria Moreno told WDRB in 2022 after a piece of rock fell through her roof and into her kitchen. "Thank God we were not home."

For its current project, KYTC offered a free, third-party inspection for homes in the blast radius. The effort is aimed at documenting conditions before work begins in case there's damage.

I-264 blast radius — This map shows the blast radius for the work scheduled to begin Tuesday, Aug. 26.

"They've come in and explained what's going on," said Joe Lilly, a Brownsboro Hardware and Paint employee. "They've also taken pictures of the building to make sure, before and after, that they cause no damage."

State officials said the overhaul of the Watterson Expressway between Westport Road and Interstate 71 is necessary. It includes widening the interstate and reworking the interchange at U.S. 42.

The goal is to improve traffic flow in a rapidly changing area already dogged by congestion and delays, with the work scheduled to occur during the final stages of the adjacent VA medical center construction.

Plans call for making the I-264 Watterson a three-lane interstate in each direction between Westport Road and I-71. On- and off-ramps in the area stand to get extra lanes, including the ramp from I-264 East to I-71 North; the U.S. 42 westbound ramp onto I-264; and the I-264 West ramp to Westport Road.

Drivers are warned to use caution and watch for signs that will be in place during the blasting. Extra travel time will be necessary during the rolling roadblocks. The timing and duration of the project could change for weather or other factors.

KYTC is encouraging motorists to sign up for email or text alerts regarding weekly traffic impacts pertaining to the project. Click here to sign up. The cabinet says text and email alerts will be issued within an hour of the first blast operation starting.

The highway improvement project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2027.