LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Drivers on both side of the river were blindsided when the Sherman Minton Bridge completely closed in both directions for emergency repairs early Thursday.

All lanes on both the top and bottom deck will remain closed until further notice.

In an email, Sherman Minton Renewal Team spokesperson Emma Collins said a component on the bridge deck on the Kentucky side was found to be in need of immediate repair before traffic can resume. 

An email update was provided early Thursday afternoon stating crews "are working diligently to reopen the bridge to traffic as quickly as possible."

In another update Thursday evening, bridge officials said engineers are "analyzing proposed repair plans for the Kentucky approach" to the bridge and "continuing detailed inspections throughout the night to evaluate the upper deck of the approach and preparing repair plans" in an effort to reopen two-way traffic as soon as possible.

The Interstate 64 West lane on the top deck of the bridge was closed Wednesday night, for a second time this month, when crews noticed "needed repairs to a bearing and pier that support the upper deck," a problem officials said "was not previously visible."

Officials said the pier in question is "located on land in an area where the approaches for upper and lower decks come together on the Kentucky side of the bridge" and "supports the approach and does not support the river crossing." The bearing and pier are circled in the graphic below, provided by officials with the bridge renewal project.

Sherman Minton issues graphic 7-27-23.jpg

Sherman Minton Renewal Project officials provided this graphic on Thursday, July 27, 2023, of a problem that shut down the entire bridge.

During this current phase of the bridge's rehabilitation project, the lower deck of the bridge is carrying two lanes of eastbound traffic and one lane of westbound traffic. The bottom deck carries one lane of westbound traffic, with the two other lanes closed. 

Project officials said in their Thursday evening update that the safety team and officials with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will "reopen the lower deck of the bridge by performing temporary repairs to ensure the safety and stability of the upper deck," and are currently "evaluating options to repair the bearing and pier that supports the upper deck."

Ultimately, no timetable has been set to reopen either deck of the bridge, but officials are hopeful to reopen two-way traffic "in the coming days."

Friday, bridge officials said they were another step closer to reopening the lanes, as inspectors evaluated the area under and around the section of the Kentucky approach that needed the emergency repairs. 

The team said now that it has evaluated the problem more closely, it will be able to come up with a better timeline to reopen the bridge.

Drivers should take alternate routes and follow designated detours while it remains closed. 

The suggested route is I-265 and I-65. Traffic signs will be posted near the bridge to remind drivers of the closures and alternate routes. 

WDRB spoke with frustrated drivers who were caught off guard by the sudden closure. 

"I actually didn't know the bridge was going to be closed today," said Victoria French, who found herself ensnared in the traffic mess while trying to make a quick trip to New Albany from Louisville. 

Now she's making plans to use a toll bridge until the Sherman Minton reopens. "I don't have the little pass thing, so I'm a little unprepared," she said. 

Gov. Andy Beshear says he hopes to see at least one lane in each direction reopen in the next couple of days.

"We want you to be safe," Beshear said. "We want you to get where you're going. And while we're never happy if it takes 20 or 30 more minutes and you have to use an alternative route, we never want you crossing over an unsafe bridge."

Beshear said transportation officials on both sides of the river are working "as fast as we can to get it opened -- reopened -- and we hope fully reopened. Again, we believe it will be much quicker than others in recent history, much quicker certainly than the Sherman Minton closure in 2011, and much quicker than the Brent Spence crash that we had."

While it's a headache, some drivers like Raymond Coe are finding an upside to the gridlock. "Something really was going wrong with that bridge," he said. "I'm glad it's getting fixed."

This isn't the only mess that construction on the bridge has caused over the years. On top of ongoing lane closures, some vehicles have been splashed with paint and concrete slurry while crossing the bridge. 

Construction on the Sherman Minton bridge has been ongoing as crews close in on completing the Sherman Minton renewal project, which involves painting and rehabilitating the now 60-year-old bridge. The project is anticipated to give the bridge up to 30 more years of life. Thousands of vehicles cross the span every day. 

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