AREA ADVISORY TEAMS MEET DOWNTOWN BRIDGE DESIGN TEAM
J.B. Williams, project manager for the Downtown Bridge, addresses the AAT.
September 2005 -- Area Advisory Team (AAT) members representing the Downtown Indiana and Kennedy Interchange Approaches were introduced to the Ohio River Bridges Project's Downtown Bridge design team in June. The meeting set the stage for the Bridge Type Selection Process, in which AAT members will continue to play a key role.
The organizations on the AAT represent key neighborhoods, government agencies and stakeholder groups in the area. Members of the Downtown Indiana and Kennedy Interchange Approach teams will provide feedback on design aesthetics throughout the Bridge Type Selection Process.
The design team managing work on the Downtown Bridge, led by Michael Baker Jr., Inc., met June 30 in downtown Louisville with AAT members. J.B. Williams, section design manager, introduced engineers Robert Bondi, John Dietrick and Skip Smallridge; Laura Toole, public involvement manager; and Rohena Miller, President of Niche Marketing, the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise coordinator for the Downtown Bridge.
In addition to project team member introductions, the meeting featured:
- A presentation of various bridge types
- An overview of the four-step Bridge Type Selection Process, including the development of guidelines, development of initial design concepts, development of alternatives and bridge type selection
- A discussion of the public involvement component of the bridge type design selection process
- A run-down of upcoming community involvement meetings
- A question-and-answer period
Advisory team meetings will be held throughout the Downtown Bridge Type Selection Process, involving members of the Kennedy Interchange and Downtown Indiana Approach Area Advisory teams and members of the Regional Advisory Committee (RAC). RAC members represent key government agencies, community foundations and economic, business and environmental groups from both Kentucky and Indiana.
It was also announced that bridge types will be selected in about a year, though design work will take a further two years. Input from meetings with various stakeholder groups and the public at large will be gathered over the next couple of months and used to help develop aesthetic guidelines for the Downtown Bridge.
The design phase for the Downtown and East End Bridges will follow the same process, with the construction phase for both estimated to begin in 2007 and be completed by 2020.