Interstate 64 - History

History

Elements of Interstate 64, such as the Sherman Minton bridge over the Ohio on the Indiana-Kentucky border, were completed by the early 1960s. The interstate was complete between St. Louis and Charleston with the completion of the 9th Street overpass in Louisville in December 1976.

In Virginia, the proposed southern route between Clifton Forge and Richmond called for the Interstate to follow from Richmond via US-360 and US-460, via Lynchburg to Roanoke and US-220 from Roanoke to Clifton Forge, then west following US-60 into West Virginia. The initial 1957 recommendation by a state-retained engineering consultant was for the northern route, but due in large part to the efforts of a Virginia Senator Mosby G. Perrow, Jr. from Lynchburg, the state changed the location to the southern route in 1959. Despite assurances from the federal government that the route would be decided by the state, Virginia's 1959 decision was overturned in favor of the northern route through Charlottesville.

I-64 had a proposed routing around the US 50 corridor in Illinois when the interstates were first planned. Local pressure pushed the routing closer to the US 460 corridor because of the cheaper cost and shorter mileage compared to the original routing.

I-64 signs started going up in August 1987 on the US 40 freeway in St. Louis. This change was made, due, in part, to truck drivers deliberately using US 40 to avoid mandatory fines for overweight trucks.

On September 9, 2011, the Sherman Minton Bridge was closed down by Indiana governor Mitch Daniels after construction crews found cracks in the main load bearing structural element. Mainline traffic was redirected to Interstate 265, then south on Interstate 65 across the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge before rejoining Interstate 64 at the Kennedy Interchange in Louisville. Repairs were completed in a few months later and the Sherman Minton Bridge reopened at 11:50 pm on February 17, 2012.