LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Interstate 65 closed June 1 between Jefferson Street and Interstate 264, creating a two-month traffic headache not seen in Louisville in decades.
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 late 2027.
Local drivers will partially rely on 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 former 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 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. Former 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.
In addition to the interstate lane closures the project calls for the following ramp closures:
- Permanently Closing in June 2026
- 1st Street/Chestnut Street ramp to I-65 South
- May 2026 to August 2026
- 1st Street/Chestnut Street ramp to I-65 South
- May 2026 to late 2026
- St. Catherine Street ramp from I-65 South (Exit 135)
- June 2026 to late 2026
- Preston Street ramp to I-65 North
- Floyd Street/Magnolia Street and Preston Street ramp to I-65 South
- Arthur Street ramp from I-65 South (Exit 134)
- June 2026 to August 2027
- 1st Street/Liberty Street ramp to I-65 South
- June 2026 to October 2027
- Brook Street ramp from I-65 North
- St. Catherine Street ramp to I-65 North
- Preston Highway ramp to I-264 East
- Preston Highway ramp to I-264 North
- Fair/Expo Center Main Gate exit from I-264 East
And these are the surface street closures related to the project:
- September 2025 to July 2026
- Bradley Avenue from Circle of Champions to the CSX Railroad
- September 2025 to March 2027
- Brook Street from St. Catherine Street to Caldwell Street
- Burnett Avenue from Floyd Street to Preston Street
- Hill Street from Floyd Street to Preston Street
- Kentucky Street from 1st Street to Floyd Street
- Permanently closing in July 2026
- The alley between Broadway and Jacob Street under I-65
- Permanently closing in August 2026
- Jacob Street from 1st Street o Brook Street
- August 2026
- Broadway from 1st Street to Brook Street
- August 2026 to October 2027
- Brook Street from Chestnut Street to Muhammad Ali Boulevard
- Muhammad Ali Boulevard from 1st Street to I-65
- September 2026
- Chestnut Street from 1st Street to Brook Street
- September 2026 to October 2026
- Gray Street from 1st Street to Brook Street
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