I-65 South closed in downtown Louisville this weekend for bridge repairs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Interstate 65 South at "Hospital Curve" in downtown Louisville is now closed for the weekend.

Work to perform bridge joint replacements on I-65 at "Hospital Curve" was scheduled to begin last weekend, but was postponed because of unfavorable weather conditions.

I-65 closure map from Joel 7-14-25.PNG — Southbound I-65 drivers will be required to exit onto I-71 or I-64 during the closure. In addition, ramps from I-71 south and I-64 east and west to I-65 south will also be closed the weekend of July 19, 2025.

Starting at 8 p.m. Friday (July 25) and continuing through 5 a.m. Monday, July 28, crews closed the left three lanes of the Kennedy Bridge, limiting access to I-65 South, as crews work to replace bridge joints and install high-friction surface treatment in "Hospital Curve."

At the same time, the Interstate 64 East and West ramps to I-65 South and the Interstate 71 South ramp to I-65 South will also be closed.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said once the interstate reopens Monday, I-65 South will be reduced to one lane through the corridor through Wednesday, July 30 at 5 a.m.

Southbound traffic getting into Hospital Curve will be shut off entirely, pushing all drivers coming across the Kennedy bridge onto I-71 and I-64.

The closures will allow crews to address the areas of the interstate impacted by recent semitruck crashes as well as makes "unrelated repairs" near the Kennedy bridge. The high-friction surface treatment, which will be installed from the end of the Kennedy bridge to the overpass over Witherspoon Street, protects the concrete and increases friction for drivers when the roadway is wet. KYTC said.

According to KYTC, the project includes full replacement of expansion joints to improve safety, help prevent recurring potholes, and reduce the need for future maintenance closures. It will also replace joints on both the southbound and northbound lanes at mile point 135.6, about a mile south of the bridge.

Some of the work can't be done alongside traffic for safety reasons, according to KYTC. That requires a full closure of I-65 South at the repair site.

KYTC said additional weekend lane closures will be scheduled at a later date so crews can finish joint replacements on I-65 North.

The overpasses and bridges in the area were rebuilt about a decade ago as part of the $2.3 billion Ohio River Bridges Project, but there have been safety fixes since the new roads opened. In 2019, Kentucky officials added pavement markers on the ramp from I-64 West and I-71 South to I-65 South that give drivers more time to adjust as the ramp's lanes narrow.

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