LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Two lanes of Interstate 65 in both directions reopened to Louisville traffic after nearly two months of construction closures.
Gov. Andy Beshear joined leaders from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet on Tuesday morning for an update on the $150 million Interstate 65 Central Corridor Project to replace several aging overpass bridges along the interstate.Â
The lanes, which weren't scheduled to reopen until Aug. 1, reopened at midnight between Jefferson Street and Interstate 264, with some "off-peak" lane closures and other impacts until the work is finished in mid-2027.Â
With the lanes reopening, several ramps also reopened. Those include access from I-65 North to the Fair/Expo Center, Interstate 264 East to the Fair/Expo Center Main Gate, and the Bank Street on-ramp to westbound I-264 and Interstate 64.
"I want to thank the people of Louisville. This was not easy," Beshear said. "It could have been a major disruption, but we saw the people of Louisville respond, we saw them adjust and because of that, they are going to have a safer interstate through this downtown."
Although the lanes reopened, the project isn't fully complete.
"We're still a little ways from completing the full infrastructure project, but the disruption of having I-65 fully closed is over," Beshear said. "And I can promise you this, even though some work will extend into March of next year, we won't be shutting down this crucial roadway all the way back for this project again."
The following ramp closures remain in effect:Â
- 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 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
"Now that we have rebuilt enough of the deck and superstructure to carry four lanes of traffic, two in each direction, we want drivers to note that this 5-mile I-65 corridor is still a construction zone, there's still work to be done," said Matt Bullock, chief district engineer for KYTC. "The speed limit, I think it's important to note, will be 40 miles per hour just south of the CSX bridge to the north end of the project in the Spaghetti Junction."
That 40 mph speed limit will be in place along a majority of the 5-mile corridor, KYTC said. A construction speed limit of 45 mph will be in place along I-65 South from just past the Hill Street/CSX Railroad/Burnet Avenue bridge through the I-264/I-65 interchange.Â
To avoid traffic delays while these restrictions are in place, drivers are encouraged to use the signed detour via I-264 to the west side.
Bullock called crews' efforts over the last two months to get drivers back on the interstate "phenomenal."Â
"The effort included hundreds of hours of behind the scenes planning, early foundation work underneath bridges and the roughly 250 crew members with Kiewit and their subcontractors have been working on-site nonstop since the closure began," Bullock said.
I-65 Closure | Traffic Map | Latest Coverage | Real-Time AlertsÂ
The interstate closed June 1. Two lanes of the interstate, from University Boulevard to I-264, reopened ahead of schedule June 28 amid "significant progress" in the project. KYTC said at the time the full closure of the interstate allowed crews to complete enough work at the Bradley Avenue bridge over I-65 to reopen southbound lanes to traffic. Along with those lanes, four ramps also reopened: both on- and off-ramps at Crittenden Drive and the on-ramps from Eastern. I-65 South between the Jefferson Street exit to University Boulevard remained closed as construction continued.
IMAGES | Aerial views of the I-65 Central Corridor project on the 4th day of construction
Construction on Interstate 65 over the area of E. Hill Street and E. Burnett Avenue during the I-65 Central Corridor project as of Thursday, June 4, 2026. (Emily Evans/WDRB photo)
Work over the two-month closure involved 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
The three bridges were built in the late 1950s and were in "poor" condition, according to WDRB News' review of Federal Highway Administration data.Â
The structures that were replaced were "the worst of the bridges in this corridor and the ones in most need of repair," said Ed Green, a former project spokesperson. Plans called for new earthen embankments, foundations, piers, beams, decks and pavement.
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.
For more information on the project, click here.
Gov. Andy Beshear joined leaders from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet on Tuesday morning for an update on the $150 million Interstate 65 Central Corridor Project.
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