Major traffic changes will soon begin on I-65 North and I-65 South in downtown Louisville as part of the Ohio River Bridges Project. Widening work on the Downtown Crossing has been concentrated along the outside lane of I-65 South in this area, with minimal impact on traffic. But with new lanes nearing completion, work will soon move to the next phase, with crews moving to the area between I-65 North and I-65 South.
The move means traffic will be shifted to the outside lanes of the work zone to ensure the safety of drivers and workers. The result: I-65 will be reduced to two through lanes in each direction from Witherspoon Street to Muhammad Ali Boulevard.
I-65 North, from Muhammad Ali Boulevard to Witherspoon Street, will be reduced from three through lanes to two. The change is expected to begin Sunday, May 11 and remain in place into 2015.
The left lane of I-65 North is closing to allow crews to work safely between I-65 South and I-65 North, building new lanes for I-65 South.
The exit ramp from I-65 South to Jefferson Street is expected to be reduced to one lane Wednesday, May 14 to Friday, May 16. Drivers will be able to access both Jefferson Street and Brook Street during the three-day lane reduction.
The ramp is scheduled to close that weekend, closing the night of Friday, May 16. The ramp will be open by 5 a.m. Monday, May 19.
The lane restriction and closure will allow crews to complete striping and other necessary work in preparation for an upcoming traffic switch on I-65 South.
I-65 South traffic will be moving to newly constructed roadway, from Witherspoon Street to Muhammad Ali Boulevard. The roadway is the new I-65 South collector-distributor, which runs parallel to I-65 South. When the overall project is complete, the collector-distributor will allow traffic to smoothly enter and exit I-65 South.
The I-65 South traffic switch is expected to happen in early June and remain in place into 2015. Traffic will be reduced from three through lanes to two through lanes from Witherspoon Street to Muhammad Ali Boulevard.
In combination with the lane restriction on I-65 North, moving traffic to the newly constructed roadway will allow crews to work between I-65 South and I-65 North to build new mainline lanes for I-65 South.
The Downtown Crossing includes building a new I-65 bridge for northbound only traffic, revamping the Kennedy Bridge to carry southbound I-65 traffic and rebuilding interchange approaches on both sides of the river. The project is scheduled for completion in December 2016.
