The Project
Project Overview
The Ohio River Bridges Project addresses the long-term transportation needs of Louisville-Southern Indiana region. Its purpose is to enhance safety, reduce traffic congestion and improve transportation connections throughout our growing metropolitan area.
After an extensive five-year study, the project secured Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approval with a 2003 Record of Decision. The 2003 selected alternative called for building two new bridges and reconfiguring the Kennedy Interchange (Spaghetti Junction).
But, since then, decreasing federal transportation dollars and rising construction costs have kept the $4.1 billion project from moving forward.
In early 2011, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer urged the project team to explore cost-saving ideas in order to get the project back on track. As required by federal law, the states then began developing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to examine proposed changes. More »
The Ohio River Bridges Project is a transportation mega-project - one of the top five of its kind in the United States. As such, it contains complexity from both a cost and a schedule perspective. More »
Officials from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and the Indiana Department
of Transportation (INDOT) manage the Bridges Project, a bi-state project. Members
from these organizations and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) form the
Bi-State Management team (BSMT).
More »
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Indiana Department of Transportation are currently preparing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project as a result of proposed changes to the project. A draft SEIS is expected in late 2011. More »
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Indiana Department of Transportation are currently preparing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project as a result of proposed changes to the project. The SEIS will examine the impacts of the proposed changes to the Selected Alternative. 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 »
As with any transportation project, people have questions. Many answers are available on our Frequently Asked Questions pages. More »