Just over a month until two month closure of I-65 in Louisville – Here’s the detour info you need

There is just over a month until a two month closure of Interstate 65 in Louisville forces extended detours throughout the summer. 

The closure of I-65 will span for five miles between Interstate 264 and downtown Louisville, Kentucky at Jefferson Street. The closure will start just after midnight on Monday, June 1st and is expected to end on Saturday, August 1st. 

According to WHAS11, the closure will facilitate the replacement of the I-65 bridges over Kentucky Street/Brook Street, Hill Street/CSX Railroad/Burnett Avenue, and Bradley Avenue near the fairgrounds. Officials say the full closure will save the area from more than a year of partial closures. 

“Replacing them will provide a safer, more reliable connection for the approximate 125,000 drivers who rely on them daily,” said Natalie House-Lewis, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet project manager. 

Once completed, the new bridges are expected to last for 75 years. When the full closure ends, I-65 will reopen with two lanes of traffic in each direction. Substantial closures will then remain until the project is fully completed in late 2027. 

During the closure, traffic will be detoured to I-264 on the west side of Louisville. KYTC says that this detour route was chosen after two years of traffic studies, which concluded that I-264 was the shortest route with the most available road capacity. Some ramps along I-264 will be temporarily widened to handle the extra traffic flow.

During the closure, drivers can get into downtown Louisville by using the Jefferson Street exit off southbound I-65, or by taking I-64. To exit downtown, drivers can take the East Liberty Street ramp to northbound I-65.