At 56 years old, the Sherman Minton Bridge is overdue for a major makeover. It will be getting a $90 million facelift with new decks, lighting and a coat of paint.
With 90,000 vehicles crossing it each day, there's a major focus on how it all will be done.
"We will have to continue to be advocates,” Cathy Hinko said. She is the executive director of the Louisville Metro Housing Coalition.
She's pushing for a complete environmental study on what impacts the two to three-year project will have on the homeowners living near the bridge. She does not want to see a repeat of September 2011 - the emergency shutdown that led to a four-month closure and repair process.
"There doesn't seem to be a real commitment to environmental justice as we define it," she said.
An environmental study is required for federally-funded projects, but Hinko is concerned about its scope. She's also worried about the impact a partial or complete shutdown could have on the area and the potential for re-routing drivers.
"I would want air quality. I would want to know if anything is running off on the soil, any particulates in the air," Hinko told WHAS11.
Hinko met with transportation crews from Kentucky and Indiana to find out more about the project but feels she needs more defined answers for the people living in west Jefferson County.
"I think the way it was introduced by the bridge's people, was to downplay the importance of what was going on," she said.
There will be at least two more public meetings that could be scheduled by the spring.
A final recommendation on how to tackle the rehab of the bridge is expected in the fall.
Contact reporter Robert Bradfield at rbradfield@whas11.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.