Cable Relocation Marks Beginning of Work on KY 841 Off-Ramp Realignment
March 2006 -- Fiber optic cables in the U.S. 42/KY 841 area have been relocated
in preparation for the KY 841 off-ramp realignment. The off-ramp from the Gene Snyder
Freeway to U.S. 42 will be moved west of its current location to be close to the
east on-ramp. The ramp relocation represents the first physical activity of the
Ohio River Bridges Project’s pre-construction phase and includes the addition of
a left turn lane from U.S. 42 to the Snyder on-ramp and a new traffic light.
Work crews began moving the fiber optic cables during the week of Feb. 13 and finished
the week of Feb. 26. The network of underground cables provides telecommunication
services from Chicago to Atlanta.
With the cable relocation now complete, the Kentucky East End Approach design team
can begin the KY 841 off-ramp realignment. The location of the current off-ramp
will become an access road for an exploratory tunnel below U.S. 42. The exploratory
tunnel will provide engineers with important geotechnical information about the
site of the 2,000-foot tunnel that will one day carry traffic to and from the East
End Bridge, and allow for the completion of the overall design of the East End Approach.
Relocation of the ramp is scheduled to begin by mid-May 2006. Once the ramp relocation
project is complete, boring can begin on the exploratory tunnel, which is expected
to take from nine to 18 months.
Moving the off-ramp west of its current location will help design engineers accomplish
several important objectives, said Jerry Leslie of H.W. Lochner, Inc., the Kentucky
East End Approach program manager.
“The intent of the KY 841 relocation project is to establish ready access, via the
old off-ramp, to the site of the exploratory tunnel, which will be the source of
important geotechnical information,” Leslie said. “We’ll also make the area safer
for drivers -- moving the Snyder off-ramp means it’ll be further away from the entrance
to the Bridgepointe subdivision, making it easier for Bridgepointe residents to
turn left onto U.S. 42. Dual left-turn lanes are also being provided at the ramp
connection at U.S. 42, which will improve safety and the flow of traffic.”
The Ohio River Bridges Project addresses the long-term, cross-river transportation
needs in the Louisville-Southern Indiana region. The Federal Highway Administration,
Indiana Department of Transportation and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet agreed
that the only feasible way to meet cross-river transportation needs was to construct
two new bridges and rebuild the Kennedy Interchange. Of a variety of options studied,
the alternative selected would best achieve the transportation needs with the least
amount of impact on environmental resources and the communities.
The Bridges Project is currently in the design phase and is tentatively scheduled
to be complete by 2020.