The Project
Project Overview
The Ohio River Bridges Project addresses the long-term transportation needs of the Louisville-Southern Indiana region. Its purpose is to enhance safety, reduce traffic congestion and improve transportation connections throughout our growing metropolitan area.
In 2003, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved a Record of Decision that calls for building two new bridges and reconfiguring the Kennedy Interchange (Spaghetti Junction).
In 2011, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer urged the project team to explore cost-saving ideas, which reduced the overall estimate from $4.1 billion to $2.6 billion, a savings of more than 35%. As required by federal law, the states developed a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to examine proposed changes. This is expected to lead to a new Record of Decision in late June. More »
The Ohio River Bridges Project is a transportation megaproject. As such, it contains complexity from both cost and schedule perspectives.
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Officials from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) manage the Bridges Project. Members from these organizations and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) form the Bi-State Management team (BSMT).More »
The Ohio River Bridges Project began in earnest in 1998 when it launched a study looking into the impact of constructing two bridges and reconfiguring the Kennedy Interchange. Since then much has been accomplished. More »
Numerous studies and legal documents have been produced as part of the Ohio River Bridges Project that include everything from the Environmental Impact Statement to historic preservation plans. More »
The Bridge Type Selection process concluded with the selection of a Three-Tower
Cable-Stayed bridge type for the Downtown Bridge and a Median-Tower, Cable-Stayed
Center Cable bridge type for the East End Bridge. More »