JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) — The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said Tuesday that Gov. Andy Beshear reached out to schedule a meeting with Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore about the proposed 2nd Street Bridge project, but Moore "responded by insisting the meeting take place on the bridge where the project would occur, which makes scheduling difficult."
In a response to WDRB, Moore said, "That is an outright lie."
KYTC said Beshear has expressed a willingness to meet and discuss the project with both Moore and Indiana Gov. Mike Braun. The transportation cabinet said Braun has not reached out to request a meeting.
KYTC announced plans earlier this year to convert the 96-year-old bridge from four lanes to three. The change would leave only one lane carrying traffic from southern Indiana into Louisville.
The plan calls for each lane to increase in width from 9.5 feet to 11 feet, KYTC said, allowing more room for cars despite the reduction in lanes. Work on the project, which is projected to cost $8 million, was slated to begin sometime in 2026, though KYTC said it did not have a definitive timeline. State workers said the project also would address deteriorating steel identified in recent KYTC inspections.
Moore provided emails showing Beshear's office acknowledged a letter Moore sent in July asking to meet with Beshear about the project.
A Beshear spokesperson said the office would try to schedule a Zoom meeting with Beshear, but Moore responded by saying, "I think an in-person meeting in the area directly impacted by any change that may be made is warranted."
Beshear's office followed up with Moore nine days later to ask whether a virtual meeting could still be an option.
Moore responded that he does not believe the issue can be addressed without Beshear "seeing it firsthand." He asked whether Beshear had any trips to Louisville planned over the next two months.
This comes after Braun wrote a letter raising concerns about the project.
Braun requested that KYTC partner with the Indiana Department of Transportation to monitor and analyze traffic operations during construction, when traffic is expected to be reduced to one lane in each direction to remove the sidewalk.
In March, Moore wrote his own letter about the proposal, offering three alternatives to KYTC's plan. Moore said state officials have a "difficult task" in keeping the bridge viable long-term.
Moore's suggestions include reducing the tolls on the three tolled bridges in the area to discourage drivers from using the free 2nd Street Bridge; restricting trucks from using the bridge; and reversing the current plan to make the bridge two southbound lanes and one northbound lane.
"In my email communications with the governor's office, at no time did I insist that the meeting take place on the Second Street Bridge," Moore said in a statement. "I extend another invitation to Gov. Beshear and Mayor Greenberg to meet in my office, or I would be happy to come over to Louisville for a sit-down conversation. This is an important issue for both of our communities, and I believe it warrants a face-to-face discussion so we can work together to address concerns and find a path forward. I very much appreciate Gov. Braun coming down and discussing this issue and taking a strong stance against the closing of a lane on the Second Street Bridge. Hopefully, Gov. Beshear, Mayor Greenberg and I can work together to address any concerns regarding the Second Street Bridge."
The City of Jeffersonville previously made a social media post June 26 about not receiving a response from KYTC about Moore's letter. In the post, Moore invited Beshear, Braun and Greenberg to Jeffersonville City Hall "for a collaborative discussion on this critical regional transportation issue."
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