Louisville businesses near I-264 widening project concerned with dwindling profits

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Two months into the $130 million project to widen Interstate 264 near Brownsboro Road, nearby businesses and homeowners said they're already feeling the impact.

The two-year construction effort is aimed at expanding lanes and improving traffic flow between I-264 East and the interchange with Interstate 71. But for people who live in the Northfield neighborhood, the work is hitting closer to home.

"When they were first doing the sound metering, they were doing it on the other side of the houses," Todd Moriarty, who lives near the work, said Monday. "We're like 'No, no, come back here."

This week, crews cleared dozens of large trees — some 60 feet tall — behind Moriarty's house. A 20-foot sound wall will eventually replace them, blocking the view but also bringing the interstate closer to his backyard.

Businesses near the new VA hospital at Brownsboro Road and Rudy Lane are also struggling.

"Customer traffic is down, (and) sales are down," said Doug Carroll of Brownsboro Hardware. "The restaurants are especially hurting. You don't realize how much of a major project this is and how much it is going to affect you.”

Some shops even launched a website to help customers find their way through detours and traffic backups.

Akshay Kadam, who owns Noosh Nosh, said lunch crowds have dropped dramatically.

"Our lunch sales are drastically down right now," he said. "Dinner is still OK, but it is still slow. The question is how to survive in this 22 months or two years — that is the question.”

Despite the short-term challenges, Moriarty said he believes the improvements will eventually be worth it.

"I am looking forward to it being done," he said. "It's going to be kind of painful in the short term, but over time, it's going to be a good thing to have."

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said lane closures on I-264 east and west near Brownsboro Road are expected to continue Monday from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Tuesday and also from 7 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The widening project is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2027.

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