Louisville is on track to make dramatic strides in its regional transportation network. The Ohio River Bridges Project’s financing is in the hands of the Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority. The Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority is an independent, bi-state governmental agency organized by the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the State of Indiana for the purpose of financing and constructing the Ohio River Bridges Project. The authority’s primary task at present is to develop a financial plan for the project. The authority operates in consultation with, but separately from, the project’s bi-state management team. The project’s scope been established in a Federal Highways Record of Decision. The 2003 Record of Decision calls for building two bridges in the Louisville-Southern Indiana metro area and reconstructing the Kennedy Interchange (a.k.a. Spaghetti Junction) where interstates 64, 65 and 71 merge near downtown Louisville. The authority consists of 14 members from Indiana and Kentucky, as well as an executive director.
Downtown Bridge
A new six-lane bridge will carry northbound I-65 traffic, immediately upstream from the existing Kennedy Bridge which will be converted to six lanes for southbound traffic. The existing bridge handles more traffic than it was designed to carry and does not meet safet standards. It is rated "structurally deficient."
A major impediment to the integration of the Waterfront district and the Louisville Medical Center into the whole of downtown is the intrusion of the I-65 Brook/Jefferson Streets off-ramp. While this ramp serves as the first and major downtown exit of Southbound I-65, it has many problems. The current location of this exit ramp orients traffic in a westbound or northbound direction, making access to the Medical Center difficult. Additionally, the current location of the I-65 ramp is very land intensive and placed in a location after the bridge crossing and a major curve, which increases the potential for dangerous weaving and merging movements. Essentially two full blocks of the downtown core remain of marginal use as a result.
It is strongly recommended that this ramp be reconfigured and relocated slightly southbound, in the block bounded by Brook Street on the west, Liberty Street on the north, Floyd Street and I-65 on the east, and Muhammad Ali Boulevard on the south. Under this alternative, a new slip ramp would be constructed that would run parallel to the existing I-65 right-of-way and drop down to grade level as it passes east of the current Doctor’s Office building, then provide northbound access at the intersection of Muhammad Ali and Brook Street, and southbound access at First Street and Brook (if Brook becomes two-way).
This reconfiguration would greatly improve the clarity of access to the Medical Center. Furthermore, relocation of this ramp a block further south than its present location removes it from the bend in I-65, increasing visibility, providing longer merge and weave segments, and improving overall safety and efficiency of the ramp. Relocation of this ramp would also free up an additional two blocks for new development such as the expansion of University of Louisville’s Nucleus Bio-Medical Research Park. These two additional development blocks would also provide a much-needed connection between the medical center district and the burgeoning East Main and Waterfront Districts to its north.
Designed by The Harpeth Group.