Public to see aesthetic design plans for East End span
December 2007 -- The public involvement process that’s helped determine shape,
color and other aesthetic features of the East End Bridge concludes this week with
open houses on both sides of the river.
Engineers and architects from the East End Bridge design team and Bridges Project
officials will be on hand at open houses Dec. 11 at the Community Center in Utica,
Ind., and Dec. 13 at Springdale Church in eastern Jefferson County. Both are scheduled
from 4 to 7 p.m.
Attendees will have an opportunity to learn more about the bridge’s overall aesthetic
theme, including the color chosen for secondary elements of the superstructure,
the shape of roadway lighting elements and more. Public involvement has played an
important role in these decisions, which were made in the wake of meetings with
public involvement groups such as the East End Bridge Area Advisory Team (AAT) and
the Kentucky and Indiana Historic Preservation Advisory Teams (HPAT).
“We’ve enjoyed a productive working relationship with our stakeholder groups during
this process and we want to give the general public an opportunity to see for themselves
the progress that’s been made,” said Steve Slade, project manager for the East End
Bridge design team. “Our goal is to design a bridge the community will embrace as
a landmark worthy of the beautiful east end landscape. It’s important that everyone
have a chance to see that we’re moving resolutely toward that goal.”
There will be a number of exhibits showing the East End Bridge from various angles
from the Kentucky and Indiana sides, and from the water. The Dec. 13 open house
will also involve representatives from the East End Kentucky Approach design team
and include exhibits showing the Kentucky approach to the East End Bridge.
The Bridge Type Selection process concluded in December 2006 with the Executive
Bridge Type Selection Committee choosing a median-tower, cable-stayed center cable
bridge type for the East End Bridge. The selection ended an 18-month process that
included extensive public input and architectural and engineering analyses of numerous
bridge type alternatives for both bridge locations.
The Ohio River Bridges Project addresses the long-term, cross-river transportation
needs in the Louisville-Southern Indiana region. In 2003, the Federal Highway Administration,
Indiana Department of Transportation and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet agreed
that the most 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.