Sherman Minton Bridge 'renewal' could take 2-3 years

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- The $92 million renovation of the Sherman Minton Bridge and nearby parts of Interstate 64 could take two to three years to complete, but it’s not yet known if a total shutdown of the span is needed.

Transportation officials said Monday that those decisions will be made as the project moves closer to a planned construction start in early 2021 and factors in proposals by contractors vying for the job.

In the meantime, Kentucky and Indiana officials are holding two open houses early next month as they seek public input on the work, which is aimed at extending the life of the 56-year-old bridge by three decades.

Introduced last fall as an $80 million project, the cost now stands at more than $90 million, WDRB News first reported this month. The increase is due to Indiana adding resurfacing work on raised sections of I-64 in New Albany.

“They were brought into the project in order to avoid conflicts with that work that was scheduled for about the same time that the Sherman Minton work would take place,” said Ron Heustis, the Indiana Department of Transportation Department’s project manager.

Indiana and Kentucky’s federal and state funds will cover the costs and are budgeted in the states’ long-term plans, Heustis said.

“That has already been entirely funded between Kentucky and Indiana and federal highway funding. There will be no tolls on the Sherman Minton,” he said.

For now, Indiana would pay for 55 percent of the work, while Kentucky would cover the other 45 percent.

Dubbed a “renewal” of the bridge between Louisville and New Albany, the project would replace both roadways of the Sherman Minton, a double-decked bridge that carries eastbound traffic below and westbound traffic above.

The Minton is the most heavily traveled crossing between Louisville and Southern Indiana, handling about 90,000 vehicles per day, according to traffic estimates. It has eclipsed the downtown I-65 route, an indication that some people seeking to avoid tolls on the Kennedy and Lincoln bridges are choosing the toll-free I-64 bridge instead.

Crews also would replace the roadway leading to the bridge in Kentucky, and resurface Indiana’s approach roads, and paint the main span’s structural steel. Drainage repairs and new lights also are planned.

“Without these needed repairs there will be increasing maintenance costs, needs and a potential for disruption to traffic,” said Jessica Goodwin, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s project manager.

Upcoming open houses are scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Scribner Middle School, 910 Old Vincennes Road in New Albany on Tuesday, Oct. 2; and during the same time on Thursday, Oct. 4 at the Chestnut Street YMCA, 930 W. Chestnut Street in Louisville.

While the public input is part of a federally-required environmental study, it also will play a role in deciding on full or partial closures of I-64 during the construction, said Mary Jo Hamman, an executive with Michael Baker International, which is overseeing the project for Indiana.

Shutting down lanes would let traffic continue to use the bridge, but it would add costs and construction time, she said. A full bridge closure, however, would cut costs and time but force drivers to find other routes.

“There is a huge tradeoff with that, and so our team is tasked with gathering information and input from the public to help make a recommendation to the two states,” Hamman said.