Interstate 65 - AARoads

Built as part of the Ohio River Bridges project, construction involving the Downtown Crossing added a second span for Interstate 65 across the Ohio River. The new cable-stayed bridge, named the Abraham Lincoln Bridge in honor of the 16th President of the United States, opened to traffic on December 6, 2015. The span initially opened to northbound traffic, with southbound traffic shifted to the bridge on December 16, 2015. The shift allows crews to reconstruct the 1963-opened John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge for an eventual southbound only operation. The $22 million project will also add a new floor system to the cantilever bridge and add decades to the life expectancy of the crossing. This work runs through late summer 2016 and on the overall Downtown Crossing project to December 2016.¹

A public bridge walk was held on the Abraham Lincoln Bridge on December 5, 2015. An estimated 50,000 attended the event during a cold Saturday morning. This view shows the north tower of the cable stayed bridge and the adjacent Kennedy Bridge. Photo by Tom Reaugh.

The John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge parallels the Abraham Lincoln Bridge to the west. Construction on the cantilever span started in April 1961 and the bridge was dedicated on December 6, 1963, when it opened for northbound traffic. Southbound traffic began flowing on the span a few weeks later.² Photo by Tom Reaugh during the Abraham Lincoln Bridge walk on December 5, 2015.

Interstate 65 Kentucky Guides

scenes

KY 1747 reassurance marker posted along Fern Valley Road eastbound after Interstate 65 (Exit 127) and Holliday Towers Boulevard. Holliday Towers Boulevard south and Signature Drive north come together to serve a variety of businesses and apartments nearby. 11/04/09

Entering the parclo interchange with Interstate 65 along KY 1747 (Fern Valley Road) westbound. Interstate 65 leads north to Downtown Louisville and south to Elizabethtown, Bowling Green and Nashville, Tennessee. 11/04/09

The control tower of Louisville International Airport (SDF) comes into view from KY 1747 west at Interstate 65 north. KY 1747 serves cargo facilities on the south side of the airport. The passenger terminal requires a drive north along I-65 to Interstate 264 west. 11/04/09

Sources:

I-65 SOUTH TRAFFIC SHIFTS TO LINCOLN BRIDGE. ~~http://kyinbridges.com/i-65-south-traffic-shifts-to-lincoln-bridge/~~ The Ohio Ridge Bridges project web site. December 16, 2015.
Kleber, John E. The Encyclopedia of Louisville. University Press of Kentucky, 2001. Print.

Photo Credits:

11/04/09 by AARoads

Connect with:
Interstate 64
Interstate 71
Interstate 264 - Shawnee Expressway / Watterson Expressway
Interstate 265 / KY 841 - Gene Snyder Freeway
Route 446

Page Updated 01-05-2016.