Interstate 65 in Louisville

Interstate 65 in Louisville (WDRB Photo)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Interstate 65 will close June 1 between Jefferson Street and Interstate 264, creating a two-month traffic headache not seen in decades in Louisville. 

The stretch of highway is three lanes in each direction, carrying about 125,000 cars each day: local commuters going downtown to work, eat or see a show mixed with regional traffic passing through town. A portion of the southbound stretch — between University Boulevard and the Watterson Expressway — is set to reopen July 1. But traffic in both directions isn't scheduled to reopen until Aug. 1. At that point, two lanes will be back open in each direction until the expected full reopening in mid-2027.

Local drivers will likely use city roads to avoid the closure, but the 16-mile advised detour is largely meant for regional traffic coming through Louisville. Here's what KYTC encourages those drivers to do:

  • Take southbound drivers crossing the Ohio River onto Interstate 64 West then I-264 East, where they'll eventually rejoin I-65 headed toward Bullitt County
  • Take northbound drivers west on I-264 then I-64 East and rejoin I-65 headed across the Ohio River into southern Indiana

I-65 Closure | Traffic Map | Latest Coverage | Real-Time Alerts

Officials with the I-65 Central Corridor project said the closure is being done all at once to save "at least a year of additional restrictions and construction delays."

For more information on the project, click here. And see below for a real-time traffic map:

I-65 Central Corridor Project

Work over the next two months 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. 

Plans now call for two southbound lanes to reopen between University Boulevard and the Watterson Expressway on July 1. Two lanes on the entire stretch of interstate, in both directions, are scheduled to reopen to limited traffic in August, 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."

Once built, Green said, the new structures will have an anticipated 75-year lifespan.

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