LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It was a slow commute for drivers Monday on the first full day of closures of a 6-mile stretch of Interstate 64 West from the Watterson Expressway to Story Avenue. 

The closure took effect June 2 at 8 p.m. It starts at the Interstate 264 interchange and continues to Story Avenue. Traffic is being diverted from I-64 West to the I-264 East or West ramps. The ramps from I-264 East and West to I-64 West are also closed.

The I-64 West on-ramp from Story Avenue will remain open. 

The interstate is closed to allow crews with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to resurface and re-pave the road. Guard rails are also being repaired or replaced. 

On Monday -- the first full weekday of the closure -- drivers had to find alternate routes, which clogged other main arteries like Interstate 71. There were significant backups during the morning rush near the I-71/Watterson Expressway interchange. 

Signs and detour routes reminding drivers of the closures have been put in place. KYTC can only detour to state highways. The suggested detour, depending on a person's destination, is I-264 East to Interstate 71 South, then reconnecting to I-64 West.

Drivers can also take Brownsboro Road, Shelbyville Road, or Bardstown Road. 

Officials said the work "will extend the life of the interstate and improve driver comfort on the roadway."

The interstate is scheduled to reopen by 6 a.m. Friday, June 16 -- which is the same day the eastbound lanes will close from Story Avenue to the Watterson for another two weeks for the same work.

KYTC officials said the last I-64 rehabilitation project was finished in 2001.

"Twenty-two years is the last time we did this," said KYTC spokesperson Matt Bullock. "So people ask us again 'why do you have to shut it down?' We like to shut it down and get it done really well and it lasts a long time, as opposed to every three to five years having to do minor maintenance and shut lanes down." 

For more information about the project, and other ongoing projects across the city, click here.

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