Ohio River Bridges Project
| Ohio River Bridges Project | |
|---|---|
Main components of ORBP Abraham Lincoln Bridge construction and John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge redecking Lewis and Clark Bridge construction Kennedy Interchange reconstruction | |
| Location | Louisville, Kentucky and Clark County, Indiana |
| Country | United States |
| Established | July 26, 2002 |
| Status | Complete |
| Website | kyinbridges.com |
The Ohio River Bridges Project (ORBP) was a 2002–2016 transportation project in the Louisville metropolitan area primarily involving the construction of two Interstate highway bridges across the Ohio River and the reconstruction of the Kennedy Interchange (locally known as "Spaghetti Junction") near downtown Louisville.
The Abraham Lincoln Bridge, an urban span carrying northbound traffic on I-65 from downtown Louisville to Jeffersonville, Indiana, opened December 2015; it is slightly upstream from the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge that had been completed in 1963 and was redecked for this project to handle southbound traffic. A suburban span, the Lewis and Clark Bridge (called the East End Bridge during planning), opened in December 2016 and connects the Indiana and Kentucky segments of I-265 between Prospect, Kentucky (far eastern Jefferson County), and Utica, Indiana. Additionally completed were reconstructed ramps on I-65 between Muhammad Ali Boulevard and downtown Louisville, as well as a new underground tunnel and freeway extensions to complete connections to the Lewis and Clark Bridge.
On July 26, 2002, the two governors of Kentucky and Indiana announced that the East End Bridge would be constructed, along with a new I-65 downtown span and a reconstructed Kennedy Interchange, where three interstates connect. The cost of the three projects was to total approximately $2.5 billion, and would be the largest transportation project ever constructed between the two states. An estimated 132 residents and 80 businesses were to be displaced.
The Louisville–Southern Indiana Bridge Authority (LSIBA), a 14-member commission (seven members from Kentucky and seven from Indiana) charged with developing a financial plan and establishing funding mechanisms for construction, was established in October 2009. The LSIBA oversaw construction of the project, and continues to operate and maintain the bridges and collect tolls. Construction began in 2014, with the entire project being completed in late December 2016. Tolling on the bridges is expected to continue through at least 2053.