September '08 marks five-year anniversary of the Record of Decision
Two Bridges, One Project
Click here for more detailed information on the progress of the Bridges Project.
Louisville, Ky. - On September 6, 2003, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) signed the Record of Decision approving the design and construction of the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project. In the five years since, significant progress has been made in many areas, including design, environmental and historic obligations, bridge-type selections and public involvement.
The Ohio River Bridges Project calls for building two bridges and the highways leading to them, including a reconfiguration of the Kennedy Interchange (a.k.a. Spaghetti Junction). The estimated cost for completion is $4.1 billion, making it the third-largest federally funded transportation project in the country.
The vast majority of the work to date has been design, an engineering term that refers to preconstruction planning and activities. Listed below is the status of design for each of the project's six sections:
- Kennedy Interchange: Final right-of-way plans complete. Roadway plans 75% complete. Bridges (raised structures) 20% complete.
- Downtown Bridge: 20% complete.
- Jeffersonville Approach: Survey work for the design is complete. The section design engineer has been selected but has not been given notice to proceed.
- Eastern Jefferson County: Preliminary right-of-way plans complete. Roadway plans 60% complete. Bridge design (the elevated portion of the highway that leads to the bridge crossing the Ohio River) is approximately 20% complete. The tunnel geometrics have been determined, and the overall design is approximately 40% complete.
- East End Bridge: 20% complete.
- Utica, Indiana Approach: Roadway design is approximately 15% complete. Design for the structures, such as roadway bridges and overpasses, is underway.
The bridge-type selection process was an 18-month effort that concluded in December 2006. A total of 46 bridge-type alternatives were considered: 31 for downtown and 15 for the East End. For downtown, a three-tower cable-stayed bridge was chosen to complement the urban surroundings. In the East End, a minimized cable-stayed bridge was selected, which allows clear views of the landscape and river from the bridge deck.
The project's Financial Plan, a requirement by the Federal Highway Administration for all mega-projects, was approved on January 2, 2008. The Financial Plan provides detailed cost estimates as well as the financial resources to fully fund the project.
While not required, a strategic right-of-way plan was developed for Kentucky, going above and beyond a standard right-of-way plan by creating a prioritized list of acquiring property based on construction phases, relocation time, funding and hardship requests. The right-of-way plan is complete for downtown Louisville where 105 properties, all businesses, will be impacted, including 30 relocations. In eastern Jefferson County, right-of-way plans are nearly complete and call for taking 38 homes - a small number for a project of this size - plus partial takes of approximately 61 other residential properties. In the Utica area, some 37 parcels will be affected. Five homes have been purchased and razed. And in Jeffersonville, approximately 40 parcels will be impacted.
The Record of Decision spells out specific obligations to the environment and numerous historical properties. More than 500 items are tracked on the project's environmental and historic matrix. Historic Preservation Plans are being written for Butchertown, Phoenix Hill and the Country Estates of River Road. At the same time, work has been prepared allowing numerous properties to apply for placement on the National Register of Historical Places, such as Colgate-Palmolive and the Ohio Falls Car & Locomotive Company in Jeffersonville. Rehab plans are in the works for numerous properties, including Vermont American and Grocers Ice & Storage in downtown Louisville as well as Rosewell in eastern Jefferson County. These are just a few of the examples of properties that are being protected and in some cases revitalized as a result of the bridges project.
Construction of an intersection at KY 841 and US 42 in Prospect has been completed, allowing the project to proceed with design work on the approach to the East End Bridge, which currently includes an East End Tunnel.
The amount of public involvement plus the dissemination of information has been exemplary and rivals the public relations of any highway project in the nation. The Web site - kyinbridges.com - serves as a virtual bridge-o-pedia housing volumes of information about the project since its inception. Earlier this year, the Web site broke new ground by overlaying all the roadway plans on top of Google Maps so that viewers can look at detailed road plans as well as right-of-way lines. No other transportation project in the country is doing this.
Disadvantaged, minority- and women-owned business enterprises have been involved from the get-go through a program called the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE). Mentoring of DBE firms has encouraged these businesses to seek DBE certification and prequalification for engineering or construction services. The DBE Program also provides outreach regarding opportunities to gain relevant experience on other area projects, networking opportunities and connections with potential partners, mentors and customers. In regular e-newsletters, the DBE Program provides information about the services and opportunities available to DBEs.
Summary: These are some of the points of progress over the past five years. Design and planning on the project - while sometimes invisible to the public - has been constant. With appropriate funding, the construction schedule can be maintained. The respective transportation agencies in Kentucky and Indiana are committed to complete the project as directed by the ROD, and the FHWA remains committed to support and assist the states in their initiatives.
The next major step calls for right-of-way acquisition. Appraisals of the properties could be initiated later this year with acquisition taking place in 2009. Kentucky's Highway Plan currently indicates that construction on the East End is to begin in 2011. Major construction in the Downtown area is scheduled for 2014. The long-term schedule calls for the entire project to be complete in 2024.
Click here for more detailed information on the progress of the Bridges Project.