Department of Highways, District 5
I-65 CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS TO RESUME AFTER DERBY

I-65 CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS TO RESUME AFTER DERBY
Lane closures scheduled for John. F. Kennedy Bridge repairs and I-65 pavement replacement

Louisville, KY (May 4, 2012) – With the Kentucky Derby festivities coming to an end, two projects on Interstate 65 in Louisville will resume construction activity next week.  Repairs to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge will continue with work shifting to the southbound lanes of Interstate 65.  Also, after a month’s hiatus, construction will resume on the pavement replacement project on I-65 from just north of the Watterson Expressway (I-264) to the Chestnut Street overpass near “Hospital Curve.” 

John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge Repairs

Structural steel repairs on the Indiana approaches will pick up again next week.  As a result, the right lane of southbound I-65 will be closed from 8 p.m. EDT Sunday, May 6 until 8 p.m. EDT Friday, May 11.  As part of the traffic control, the entrance ramp from Court Street in Jeffersonville, Ind. to southbound I-65 will be closed.

The exit ramp from southbound I-65 to I-64/I-71 will remain open during this phase of the project.

The major bridge construction will begin in mid-June with the bridge being reduced to two lanes in each direction.  The John F. Kennedy Bridge carries an average of 136,000 vehicles per day.

Interstate 65 Pavement Replacement

Lane closures will be in place this week as crews return to work on a $21.7 million project to remove the old asphalt pavement and replace it with eight inches of asphalt, including a waterproofing mixture on the surface.   The project area is along I-65 from just north of the Watterson Expressway (I-264) to the Chestnut Street overpass (mile points 131.2 to 135.4).  This section of I-65 carries an average of 130,000 vehicles per day. 
 

The right lane of both northbound and southbound I- 65 will be closed overnights Tuesday, May 8th - Thursday, May 10th.  These lane closures are scheduled from 7 p.m. EDT each evening until 5 a.m. EDT the following morning.  Crews will be paving the outside shoulders to accommodate traffic during construction activity on the interior lanes.

The left lane of both northbound and southbound I-65 is scheduled for closure from 7 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 11th until 5 a.m. EDT on Monday, May 14th.  Crews will begin removal and replacement of asphalt in the interior lanes.

As part of this phase of the project some interstate ramps must be closed due to sight distance and safety issues.  The following ramps will be closed beginning at 7 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 9th and will remain closed for several weeks:

• Entrance ramp from Warnock Street to both northbound and southbound I-65
• Entrance ramp from Arthur Street to southbound I-65
• Entrance ramp from Eastern Parkway to southbound I-65

To help reduce congestion and provide for a safer work zone, tractor-trailers will be required to detour the project area on weekends when lane closures are in place.

Trucks traveling northbound on I-65 will be detoured via westbound I-264 to eastbound I-64, from which they can access I-65 at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge. Trucks traveling south from southern Indiana will be detoured via westbound I-64 to eastbound I-264, from which they can access I-65 near Louisville International Airport and the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center.  Law enforcement officers will be stationed at each end of the project to enforce this detour.

For construction and traffic updates, visit http://transportation.ky.gov/District-5/Pages/I-65-Construction.aspx.  Traffic information for all eight counties in District 5 is also available at www.facebook.com/KYTCDistrict5.  Dial 511 or log on to 511.ky.gov for the latest in traffic and travel information across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

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