The Ohio River Bridges Project is a controversial Louisville metropolitan area transportation project involving the reconstruction of the Kennedy Interchange (locally known as "Spaghetti Junction"), the completion of two new Ohio River bridges and the reconstruction of ramps on Interstate 65 between I-264 and downtown.
One bridge will be located downtown and will be slightly upstream from the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge which was completed in 1963, for relief of I-65 traffic. The other, commonly referred to as the "East End bridge," will connect the Indiana and Kentucky segments of I-265 (via KY-841) between Louisville's East end and Utica, Indiana.
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 will total approximately $2.5 billion, and would be the largest transportation project ever constructed between the two states. 132 residents and 80 businesses would 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 will oversee construction of the project, and will then operate and maintain the bridges and collect tolls (if a toll option is pursued) after construction is finished. Construction is slated to begin in 2014 with the entire project being completed by 2024.
Read more about Ohio River Bridges Project: East End Bridge, Downtown Bridge, 2008 Report, 2010 Financial Plan, 2011 New Issues, Criticism and Alternatives
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