Left 3 lanes on Kennedy Bridge in Louisville closed for 'extended period' for joint repairs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The left three lanes of the Kennedy Bridge will be closed for an extended period so crews can make immediate repairs to the bridge's expansion joints.

The closures took effect at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 27.

In a news release Thursday morning, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials said the left three lanes of the bridge that carries Interstate 65 South over the Ohio River are closed. Two lanes will remain open.

The lane closures are needed to repair a damaged expansion joint as crews continue to prepare for a long-planned project to replace all expansion joints on the bridge. Major construction is scheduled to begin this summer, according to the release.

This isn't the first time the left three lanes of the bridge have been closed for immediate repairs to the expansion joints. Three lanes were closed in May 2024 after several vehicles were damaged.

The expansion joints resemble interlocking fingers and connect slabs on the 1960s-era bridge's deck, which allow the structure to expand and contract while preventing concrete from cracking.

A 2021 WDRB investigation revealed there were "errors in construction" at the expansion joint when the bridge got a $22 million facelift as part of its conversion to one-way traffic during the Ohio River Bridges Project.

Two months after the work, an inspector noticed that the joint was misaligned and moving when trucks passed over it. The Transportation Cabinet told WDRB in 2021 that air pockets developed when the new concrete deck was poured and were not "visible or detectable."

"They have been making different temporary repairs — in 2021 and last year, for example — while they were working on a full replacement project," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday. "Repairs help, but the cycle of trucks hitting the joint, especially on the Indiana side, means the whole joint structure needs to be replaced."

The replacement expansion joints are currently being fabricated. Hall Contracting of Kentucky Inc. is heading up the project under a $6.9 million contract.

"... we're manufacturing steel joints now, and once that is complete, full replacement will start by this summer," Beshear said.

The repairs are expected to be fully complete by April 2026, according to the news release. Intermittent lane closures are expected as the project continues. KYTC will provide additional details on future lane closures and traffic impacts as they become available.

Motorists traveling southbound on I-65 from Indiana should be ready for merging traffic and expect delays.

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