NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- As a newspaper carrier, Robert Woolridge said he crosses the Sherman Minton Bridge seven days a week, 365 days a year.
And he said it is in "disrepair."
"I see it every day when I go over," Woolridge said.
Woolridge and more than 100 others showed up Tuesday night at an open house at Scribner Middle School in New Albany to learn more about the $90 million Sherman Minton Renewal project. The bridge is set to undergo some major work, and drivers want to know if it'll stay open or shut down during construction.
And Harrison County officials are worried about how it might affect their biggest attraction: Horseshoe Southern Indiana.
"Businesses are going to suffer on both sides of the river from it," said Darrell Voelker with Harrison County Economic Development. "Because it's going to be so inconvenient, people are gonna just choose to not go."
The major question is will the bridge fully close or remain partially open when construction starts in 2021.
"No decisions have been made about the approach to construction," Spokeswoman Andrea Brady said. "We are very early in the process. Lots of public input needs to be gathered, and then a recommendation will be made about a year from now."
Construction will last two to three years, but a detailed timeline isn't ready yet.
"We're trying to give the best educated guess of how long construction could take, so I think a lot of scenarios have to be considered," Brady said. "Partial and full closures will have nuances as well. It might be short bursts of full closures, for example, or partial closures might be certain lane restrictions. So all of that has yet to be determined."
Tuesday night's meeting was the first of two open houses. People in Louisville will have the chance to weight in Thursday night at the Chestnut Street YMCA.
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