LANE CLOSURES SCHEDULED FOR KENNEDY BRIDGE REPAIRS

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has announced lane closures on the Kennedy Bridge beginning at 9 p.m. tonight.

Work began Monday evening to replace bridge bearings at the piers on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge. While jacking up the bridge slightly to accommodate this work, contract crews experienced difficulty with lifting one of the expansion joints at Pier 3, the second pier in the water from the Kentucky shore. This joint will not move due to accumulation of roadway debris.

In order to replace the bridge bearing underneath this locked joint, the expansion joint must be removed. Lane and ramp closures at the bridge will be necessary during this work. Interstate 65 across the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge will be reduced to one lane in each direction tonight (May 29th) and tomorrow (May 30th) from 9:00 p.m. each evening until 5:00 a.m. the following morning.

The ramp from eastbound I-64 to northbound I-65 will be closed from 9:00 p.m. on today (May 29th) until 5:00 a.m. tomorrow (May 30th). Motorists should follow the signed detour via eastbound Interstate 264 (Watterson Expressway) to northbound I-65.

Daytime lane closures are also needed to complete this work. The left lane only will be closed in each direction on tomorrow (May 30th) from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

All ramps to and from the bridge will remain open during this phase of construction.

Due to the jacking of the bridge, vehicles weighing in excess of 15 tons are prohibited from crossing the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge. This weight restriction began at midnight on Monday evening, May 28th and will continue through midnight on Friday evening, June 1st. Law enforcement officers are in place to detour these vehicles around the construction zone.

For southbound I-65, 15-ton or greater vehicles will need to follow the signed detour via westbound I-265 to eastbound I-64, crossing the Sherman Minton Bridge and then access I-65 in downtown Louisville.

For northbound I-65, these same vehicles will need to follow the signed detour via westbound I-264 to westbound I-64, crossing the Sherman Minton Bridge, follow to eastbound I-265 and then access I-65 in southern Indiana.

The major bridge construction will begin in mid-June with the bridge being reduced to two lanes in each direction. The John F. Kennedy Bridge carries an average of 136,000 vehicles per day.

Lane closures will also be in place during the overnight hours on Interstate 64 between I-65 and I-71 (mile points 5 and 6) for preparatory work ahead of the bridge construction. Lane closures are possible in the weeknights from 8:00 p.m. each evening until 5:00 a.m. the following morning through June 6th. These lane closures will allow for installation of work platforms and debris containment.

MAC Construction and Excavating, of New Albany, Indiana, is the contractor on this $18.2 million construction project. Work is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 15, 2012.

For construction and traffic updates, visit http://transportation.ky.gov/District-5/Pages/I-65-Construction.aspx. Traffic information for all eight counties in District 5 is also available at www.facebook.com/KYTCDistrict5. Dial 511 or log on to 511.ky.gov for the latest in traffic and travel information across the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

We want to hear from you!

Do you have a hard time commuting to work due to traffic? Is it unsafe for your kids to walk to school? Do you have a hard time getting to the grocery or doctor's office? The Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency (KIPDA) wants to hear from you!

We are working to Connect Kentuckiana as we seek public input on the update of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan. KIPDA is the metropolitan planning organization that serves the Louisville-Southern Indiana area, which includes Jefferson, Bullitt and Oldham counties in Kentucky and Clark and Floyd counties in Indiana.

The Connecting Kentuckiana iniatitive will provide you the opportunity to share the challenges you face every day as you travel throoughout the region. You can attend any of the 25 workshops to provide KIPDA staff with your input. Once the data is collected the information will be compiled and used to create a set of solutions and you will again be provided the opportunity to give your feedback.

Written comments may be sent to KIPDA by e-mail at kipda.trans@ky.gov, by fax at (502) 266-5047 or by mail to Connecting Kentuckiana, KIPDA, 11520 Commonwealth Drive, Louisville, KY 40299.

The following are the dates for community workshops, which will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and are an open house format. This format enables residents to come and go as they need to. Here is the schedule:

• May 21 at Highland Hills Middle School, 3492 Edwards Galena Road in Georgetown

• May 21 at Louisville Science Center, 727 W. Main St., in Louisville

• May 24 at St. Matthews City Hall, 3940 Grandview Ave.

• May 29 at Iroquois Library, 601 W. Woodlawn Ave., in Louisville

• May 31 at NIA Center, 2900 W. Broadway in Louisville

• June 4 at Urban Government Center, 810 Barret Ave., in Louisville

• June 4 at Paroquet Springs Conference Center, 395 Paroquet Springs Center in Shepherdsville

• June 5 at Griffin Street Recreation Center, 1140 Griffin St., in New Albany

• June 5 at the City of Mt. Washington Annex Building, 186 Branham Way

• June 7 at Republic Bank, 9600 Brownsboro Road in Louisville

• June 7 at Southwest Regional Library, 10375 Dixie Highway in Louisville

• June 11 at Newburg Library, 4800 Exeter Ave., in Louisville

• June 11 at Jeffersontown Community Center, 10617 Taylorsville Road

• June 12 at Charlestown Library, 51 Clark Road

• June 12 at Fairdale Library, 10620 Manslick Road

• June 18 at Bon Air Library, 2816 Del Rio Place in Louisville

• June 19 at Fern Creek Library, 6786 Bardstown Road in Louisville

• June 21 at Clarksville Town Hall, 2000 Broadway

• June 25 at Crescent Hill Library, 2762 Frankfort Ave., in Louisville

• June 28 at Ken Ellis Community Center, 1425 Pennsylvania Ave in Jeffersonville.

In addition to these sites, KIPDA is also working to schedule a workshop near the University of Louisville. The date will be made available on the website listed below.

Information is also available on the Connecting Kentuckiana website www.connectingkentuckiana.com. For more information on the workshops, call Josh Suiter at (502) 266-6084.