LOUISVILLE – I-64 East has reopened after overnight road crews finished up their overnight construction.
The closure allowed crews to complete demolition work in the area.
Despite work throughout Friday morning and afternoon hours, I-64 East is not expected to reopen to traffic in time for afternoon drive on April 24. Drivers leaving Downtown Louisville need to prepare for very heavy traffic.
I-64 East was closed just before Story Avenue. The ramp from I-65 North/I-65 South to I-64 East was also closed. Crews hoped to complete the work by Friday tonight and reopen the interstate.
Signed detours were in place. Drivers were able to use I-264 (Watterson Expressway) and I-71 North to I-264 as alternate routes. They also used I-65 South to access the Watterson Expressway. Surface streets can be used to access I-64 East past the point of the closure.
To help alleviate some of the congestion from this closure, KYTC District 5 staff is adding an additional detour on I-64 East for traffic coming into the downtown area. Motorists traveling from southern Indiana on I-64 East will be detoured onto I-264 East (Georgia Davis Powers Expressway) just past the Sherman Minton Bridge. They can follow I-264 around the city and reconnect with I-64 on the east side of Louisville.
In addition, motorists on I-264 West approaching I-64 on the west side of Louisville will not be given access to I-64 East towards downtown. These motorists should exit onto River Park Drive/Muhammad Ali Boulevard (Exit 2) for access to 22nd Street, Ninth Street and downtown Louisville. All other vehicles will have to take I-64 West into Indiana.
These detours should help alleviate some of the delay on I-71 North and provide better access to the interstates for motorists leaving downtown Louisville. The detours will remain in place through the Friday evening rush hour, according to KYTC.
The closures were put into place late Friday morning to complete necessary construction work. Demolition work in the area had been halted during the overnight hours and engineers were on site this morning to take a closer look at a beam on the overpass.
Safety is always the top priority for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Walsh Construction and it was determined the work should receive immediate attention.
On-site analysis has been completed, the beam is secure and additional demolition work is underway.
Demolition crews were given the all clear by inspectors and crews began the clean up process that allowed for the ramp to reopen.
