Crews close 6-mile stretch of I-64 East in Louisville for 2 weeks

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Drivers who use Interstate 64 East must now deal with a two-week closure of a 6-mile stretch of the road.

Around 8 p.m. Friday, crews closed the eastbound lanes from the Interstate 71 split downtown to the Watterson Expressway. The shutdown is expected to continue through 6 a.m. July 1. Officials with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said crews will be repairing guard rails and replacing the concrete pavement in the Cochran Hill Tunnel with asphalt.

Two weeks ago, the westbound lanes of the interstate were closed from the I-264 interchange to Story Avenue while crews performed similar maintenance. The shutdown was scheduled to continue until Friday, but crews finished several days early, and drivers seemed pleased with the results.

However, Matt Bullock with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said drivers should not necessarily expect the work in the eastbound lanes to be completed ahead of schedule.

"There's always a chance, but I can also say there's a chance that it could take longer," Bullock said. "I think we always try to be a little conservative to make sure we cover everything, but there is not any set number of days that we can have working with our contractor to say 'Yeah, it looks like its gonna be a few days earlier.'"

Bullock said construction crews have more work to do this time, including replacing the bridge deck over Beals Branch Road.

The suggested detour is to take I-71 North to the Watterson, then reconnect to I-64 East. KYTC officials estimate the detour will add about 4-5 miles to your commute.

Bullock said most of the backups that happened during the closure of the westbound lanes seemed to occur during the morning commute as drivers adjusted their routes. Officials believe there will be more congestion during the afternoon commutes this time around, so plan accordingly as you're driving home Monday afternoon.

KYTC said it has been more than 20 years since the last rehabilitation project that was was finished in 2001.

For more information about the project, and other ongoing projects across the city, click here.

Related Stories: