NEW ALBANY, Ind. — The Sherman Minton is set to close in one direction for nearly two weeks starting Friday.
Interstate 64 eastbound on the bridge will close at 10 p.m. on Dec. 8 and remain closed through 5 a.m. Dec. 20.
"The consecutive closure is necessary for crews to safely demolish and remove the upper bridge deck as part of Phase 4," a release from the Sherman Minton Renewal Team stated.
During the eastbound closure, the I-64 eastbound entrance ramp from West Spring Street will be closed as well as the I-64 eastbound to I-264 eastbound ramp.
The suggested alternate route will be I-265 and I-65.
"Regional traffic signs and variable message boards will be posted in the project area well in advance, notifying motorists of the closures and alternate route," the release stated.
During the extended closures, access to westbound I-64 will be restricted—reduced to one lane of traffic only.
For more information on the closure and future closures, click here.
As crews prepare to, again, close down a portion of the bridge, traffic flows freely through downtown New Albany, an area that's felt the brunt of development delays.
"We've had to adjust. No doubt about that," Dan Hardesty, owner of Eureka! Menswear, in New Albany, said. "I will say we have noticed a drop in traffic since the bridge has been reduced down."
Hardesty opened his business in April 2022. One month later, a 16-month long city revitalization project began on Main Street, where his business is located.
"At this point in time, [we've] also been dealing with road closures and sidewalks that were ripped up and all that kind of stuff," he said.
Hardesty said the timing of this shutdown is "less than ideal" and wondered how much it could cut into his shop's holiday profits.
This summer, Hardesty, like many other downtown New Albany businesses, experienced delays due to a separate Sherman Minton shutdown.
"We've not had, what I would call, an unobstructed path to try to figure out what is the real potential of this location?" he said. "What is the real potential to downtown New Albany? How is it going to impact us?"
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