LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Essential services and emergency responders are preparing to re-route as a six-mile stretch of Interstate 64 in Louisville closes for two weeks near the Cochran Tunnels.
Starting Friday at 8 p.m., the westbound lanes will close from the Watterson Expressway to Story Avenue. EMS crews have already been considering the best ways to get patients the help they need quickly.
Because emergencies can happen at any time, first responders often find themselves working around construction and traffic jams to provide life-saving help.
"Right now, Louisville can be a bit of a challenge, because we have so much construction going on around the area," said Keith Smith, EMS director at Baptist Healthcare.
The closure starts from the Interstate 264 interchange to Story Avenue. Traffic will be 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 will also be closed. The I-64 West on-ramp from Story Avenue will remain open.
The latest project from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) includes work to resurface and repave the stretch of I-64, replace guardrails and some work inside the Cochran Tunnels. The agency said the work "will extend the life of the interstate and improve driver comfort on the roadway."
KYTC estimates about 83,000 drivers use the stretch of highway every day.
With significant closures such as this, Smith said Kentucky's EMS board will send a message to all providers in the state.
"Then those EMS directors will then work with their dispatch centers and their crews to ensure everyone is aware of what the closure is going to entail," he said.
Louisville Metro EMS told WDRB News that crews prepare every day for road closures and heavy traffic, and know alternate routes throughout Jefferson County.
"EMS providers and firefighters that could be driving the ambulances are very good about adapting and overcoming based off what the situation is," said Smith.
Smith added that he doesn't anticipate any major delays in EMS services with this closure, since accidents and backups can happen every day.
"Thankfully, we've got good people that can change their plan on a dime," he said.
KYTC said signs and detour routes will be put in place. 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.
The road is scheduled to reopen by 6 a.m. Friday, June 16, which is also the day the eastbound lanes will close in the same area for another two weeks for the same work.
KYTC said the last rehabilitation project of the highway was finished in 2001.
For more information about the project, and other ongoing projects across the city, click here.
Related Stories:
- Summer traffic headaches ramp up with 6-day closure of I-64W on Sherman Minton Bridge
- 6-mile stretch of I-64 West, near Cochran Tunnels, to close for two weeks starting Friday
- 6-day directional closure starts Tuesday on Sherman Minton Bridge
- New traffic pattern in place on Sherman Minton Bridge
- Sherman Minton Bridge plan details construction phases, lane closures
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