LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — In just 87 days, all lanes of Interstate 65 between downtown Louisville and the Watterson Expressway are expected to cause extreme traffic interruptions and backups.
Crews will be replacing and removing aging bridges over Kentucky and Brooks streets, areas of Hill Street and Burnett Avenue and Bradley Avenue near the Kentucky Exposition Center.
Construction is expected to last two months, beginning June 1 and ending July 31, 2026.Â
Thursday, Democratic city council members gave an update on the major project, saying those bridges are not safe and could collapse and what's at risk is much greater than the inconvenience.
"This critical phase of it where they shut down I-65 for two months during the summer," said councilman JP Lyninger, District 6. "It is an imposition. It's a burden on our community, but it's very necessary. When you look at the state of these bridges, these overpasses, they are in really bad shape. This is a serious danger to the community that has to be addressed."
Prep work has already started, and city leaders are advising people to start planning their alternative routes now.
People who work in downtown Louisville said they think this whole project could've been done better.
"I might as well just get a boat and take them across the river that way because it's probably going to be a lot quicker," said Ashley Robinette, who works downtown.
Asley Robinette takes four trips a day back and forth between Indiana where she lives and Kentucky where she works in downtown Louisville. She often uses I-65.
"When you pull up the maps and you see road closures everywhere, it's like 'how am I supposed to get anywhere with this,'" said Robinette. "This week they closed my exit down, which is the St. Catherine exit."
She's already feeling the headache of pre-construction work the I-65 Central Corridor Project has caused, saying traffic has started to back up, and it's one road closure after the other.
"Second street is already unbearable," said Robinette.Â
When all lanes of I-65 between downtown Louisville and the Watterson close in less than three months, she believes it's only going to get worse.
"I understand that it has to be done, it needs to be done, but I think there's a better way and I think timing needs to be considered," said Robinette.
The work will impact daily travel, early summer events and business for downtown restaurants during their busiest season of the year, bringing planning and timing into question.
But those issues don't outweigh the safety concerns said Lyninger.Â
"The risk is collapse," said Lyninger. "That is the shape that we are in."
Lyninger said he understands the inconvenience closing parts of I-65 will cause, but with Kentucky being a major commercial transportation and the central air hub for UPS, it needs to be done.
"Ultimately the loss that would happen would be unthinkable," said Lyninger. "It had to be done sooner or later, it has to be done now."
Councilmembers suggest that people use Interstate 264, Watterson Expressway, to Interstate 64 through west Louisville. Councilmembers are also encouraging people to reach out with their concerns. To contact your councilmember, click here.
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