LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced plans for a four-year, $180 million project dedicated to reducing congestion at the edge of Jefferson and Oldham counties.
Four projects combined into one will focus on interstates 265, 71 and 64.
"Our really sharp engineers at the transportation project are looking at opportunities to find efficiencies and save money by grouping all these projects together into one big project under one umbrella," state highway engineer, Andy Barber said.
Planners are calling it the state's largest project since the Ohio River Bridge project which was completed in 2016.
I-Move Kentucky will widen I-265 and I-71 while improving the I-64/I-265 and I-71/I-265 interchanges. Specifically, the project will:
- Widen I-265 to the center and add one lane of traffic in each direction between Taylorsville Road and I-71
- Widen I-71 to the center and add one lane of traffic in each direction between I-265 and the Crestwood/Pewee Valley exit.
- Create a collector-distributor lane on southbound I-71 to ease ramp movements to and from I-265.
- Reconstruct the I-64/I-265 interchange to ease the flow of traffic.
“These were among the most important projects identified during last year’s SHIFT prioritization," KYTC Secretary Greg Thomas said. "By tackling them together, we’re saving Kentucky taxpayers time and money.”
Construction on the I-71/I-265 interchange is expected to start first in early spring of 2020, with the project completed by the end of 2020. The timeline for other phases will be determined after a design-build team is selected.
The project is scheduled to last through the end of 2023.