LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Several downtown Louisville streets closed Wednesday as part of a project that will shut down Interstate 65 for two months next year.

South Brook, Kentucky and Hill streets and Burnett Avenue in the Old Louisville area closed and are expected to remain closed through spring 2027, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said in a news release.

The agency said the traffic impacts are as follows:

The intersection of South Brook and Kentucky streets: 

  • A detour will be put in place on South Brook between Kentucky Street and Ardella Court, and on Kentucky Street between First and South Brook streets.
  • Local access will be provided on South Brook between Ardella Court and Caldwell Street, as well as Kentucky Street to allow drivers to enter alleys on the south side of the road, just east of First Street

The intersection of Hill Street and Burnett Avenue: 

  • A detour will be put in place on Burnett between Floyd Street and the connection with Preston Street on the north side of the CSX rail line.
  • A detour will also be put in place on Hill Street, between Floyd and Preston streets, on the south side of the CSX rail line.

The announcement comes after KYTC announced a multiyear plan called the "I-65 Central Corridor Project" Wednesday to replace highway overpass bridges.

The agency said the closures are necessary for "preliminary work to an I-65 off-ramp at St. Catherine Street (Exit 35) and an interstate bridge" as part of the project. Signage will be posted to warn drivers of the traffic changes and to recommend detours during the closures.

The first $150 million phase of the project started around Labor Day and will 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.

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. 

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 Jefferson Street and the Watterson Expressway in June and July 2026. Traffic would be detoured on I-264 West and I-64 West.

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. 

To learn more about the downtown road closures that began Sept. 3, click here. 

For more information about the "I-65 Central Corridor Project," click here. You can also follow progress through the I-65 Central Corridor Facebook page by clicking here.

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