Downtown Bridge Concepts to be Presented at Open Houses
November 2005 – The public will have its first look at what a new bridge next to the Kennedy Bridge might look like. On Nov. 29 and Dec. 1, the Downtown Bridge design team will present about 30 preliminary bridge concepts at public open houses that are part of Step Two in the Four-Step Bridge Type Selection Process. (See the following fact sheet for more open house details.)
At 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on both nights, members of the Downtown Bridge design team will present the preliminary concepts to the public and ask for feedback on preferences. Before and after the presentations, attendees will be able to ask questions of project team members and tour the meeting area to view informational boards about the bridge location and design parameters.
“Feedback that we receive on these bridge concepts will help shape the development of more detailed bridge alternatives. We’re showing people ‘bridge blueprints’ right now, and at the next set of open houses, we’ll be able to show them more detailed images of various bridge design alternatives,” said J.B. Williams, an engineer with Michael Baker, Jr., Inc., and section design manager for the Downtown Bridge. “The public has been asking what the two new bridges will look like, and this is the first time that we can actually show them pictures of what the future might look like.”
More open houses will be held throughout the Bridge Type Selection Process. The Step Two open houses for the East End Bridge will be held on Dec. 13 and 15, 2005.
The one-year Bridge Type Selection Process consists of four steps, which include numerous opportunities for community input. During each stage of the process, the design teams will present their work for comments at public meetings and at meetings with a Regional Advisory Committee and Area Advisory Teams, which are groups of stakeholders on both sides of the river. The general public is encouraged to comment throughout the Bridge Type Selection Process at the various public meetings, on written comment forms submitted to the project office or through the on-line comment form on the project’s Web site.
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 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 with construction tentatively scheduled to be complete by 2020.