Ohio River Bridges Downtown Crossing project nearing completion

DOT deputy secretary visits construction site

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 17, 2015) — U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Victor Mendez today visited the site of the Ohio River Bridges Downtown Crossing to witness the project’s progress. The groundbreaking site now sits in the shadow of a nearly-complete bridge that will be open to interstate traffic in less than four months.

“When I stood here two years ago, we were celebrating an idea—a plan for a transformative transportation project,” Mendez said. “But now, as we watch the final pieces come into place, we are celebrating a concrete example of what this administration means when it talks about creating an America that is built to last.”

Projected progress of the project:

• By mid-October, the bridge will be its “final shape” with all 88 stay cables in place
• By late-October, the bridge deck should extend from bank to bank, with all piers connected
• By late fall, the deck of the bridge should be poured
• By January 2016, the bridge will be open to two-way traffic (the bridge will eventually carry only Northbound traffic)

When the new bridge opens to two-way traffic, crews with Walsh Construction will begin making $22 million dollars worth of improvements to the Kennedy Bridge. A new floor system will be built on top of existing floor beams, adding decades of new life to the nearly 52-year-old bridge. At first, the Kennedy Bridge will be closed except for one lane, and will then be completely closed for part of the improvement work. The entire Downtown Crossing – meaning the new cable-stayed bridge, the improved Kennedy Bridge and the interstate connections on both sides of the river — is expected to be complete in December 2016.

“Louisville commuters have been able to watch this new bridge rise from the river,” Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Mike Hancock said. “Today, all of us can see the way it towers above us. But the true measure of this bridge will be taken by the generations that come after us. This is the infrastructure they will use for decades to come, to build the economy of tomorrow.”

Kentucky Lt. Gov. Crit Luallen said the project would be transformational for the region. “We can already tell that the bridge will be beautiful,” she said. “And we know it will mean safer, more efficient daily commutes for many local residents. But the real transformation will be in the economic impact of this bridge, throughout the region. This bridge will produce an additional 15,000 jobs and add $29.5 billion in personal income to the local economy.”

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said the bridges project is not only a vital link in the logistics network—which is an important economic driver in a city that is a logistics capital—but is also a symbol of a new era in Louisville.

“We are done with the days when we talked for decades before putting a shovel in the dirt,” Fischer said. “We are entering an era of unprecedented investment in the infrastructure needed for a mid-21st Century economy.”