(UNDATED) – The Indiana Department of Transportation has scheduled open houses scheduled on July 23rd and July 25th in Louisville and New Albany respectively. The purpose of the open houses is to share updated project information with the community on the Sherman Minton Renewal Project. The Project Team will present options for traffic management during construction, answer questions and solicit public feedback.
The open house will focus on maintenance of traffic (MOT) options. Lane restrictions would allow for maintaining some traffic across the bridge during construction but would create traffic delays, extend the project timeline and increase costs. A full closure of the bridge would provide full access for construction and reduce the timeline and costs but would force vehicles onto another route. A combination of MOT options is likely to be used.
The Project Team is charged with identifying the best approach to construction. Multiple options are being explored and no decisions have been made. The Project Team wants input from members of the community. Comment cards will be provided.
Tuesday, July 23 Chestnut Street Family YMCA 930 W. Chestnut Street Louisville, KY 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 25 The Calumet Club 1614 East Spring Street New Albany, IN 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Each open house will include a presentation from the Project Team at 6:00 p.m. The rest of the event is an open house format with multiple information stations. Attendees will have a chance to talk one-on-one with leaders of the Sherman Minton Renewal Project team, hear more about the project and ask questions.
The Sherman Minton Renewal Project is an extensive bi-state rehabilitation project that will add an estimated 30 years of additional service life to the 56-year-old bridge. The Sherman Minton Bridge, the first interstate bridge over the Ohio River in Louisville, still has its original concrete deck. The bridge opened to traffic in 1962.
The project includes replacement or refurbishment of all bridge decks, rehabilitation or replacement of structural steel elements and hanger cables, new lighting, drainage repairs and painting of steel components of the main river crossing and Kentucky approaches. The double-decked bridge carries almost 90,000 vehicles daily.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2021 and take two to three years to complete, depending on the final scope of the work and the approach to construction and restrictions/closures. For more information regarding the Sherman Minton Renewal project, visit http://shermanmintonrenewal.com/.
