LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Getting to Louisville's airport in June and July will take longer, officials said, with the two-month Interstate 65 closure set to clog the usual pathways for travelers hoping for the usual quick access.

All six lanes of the interstate will close June 1 between Jefferson Street and Interstate 264, creating a two-month traffic headache not seen in Louisville in decades. The stretch of I-65 is three lanes in each direction, carrying about 125,000 cars each day.

"Man, it's already hard enough to get up here," Michael Washington said Friday at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. "That sounds terrible."

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

Airport officials have released a preferred route for travelers to still access the terminals at SDF, which is largely unaffected by the closures. Outlined below, it takes drivers off Interstate 264 East and West and onto Terminal Drive:

SDF on Route During i-65 Shtudown

(Photo courtesy of the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport)

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

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."

Louisville Regional Airport Authority's Director of Public Relations Natalie Chaudoin said anyone who is flying out of SDF should monitor traffic closely, anticipate delays and plan ahead.

Habib Rahim, a Z-trip taxi driver, said the interstate shutdown won't just increase traffic but also make fares spike for taxis and rideshares.

"Flat rate airport to downtown is around $26.50, and that is 7 miles," Rahim said Friday. "But when we go to detour, that will double. Can be 14-20 miles, approximately. That makes between $40 to $50. That is the difference, doubling the amount for the customers."

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 late 2027. 

For more information on the project, click here.

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