NEW ALBANY, Ind. — Drivers in New Albany say one-way closures of the Sherman Minton bridge between Louisville's West End and southern Indiana are pretty common -- with advanced notice.
"It seems like every other week it's closed," said Eddie Brown, who was about to drive into Louisville when he learned the bridge was closed in both directions until further notice.
Crews working on the Sherman Minton Renewal project noticed late Wednesday night that there was an issue with the approach ramp on the Kentucky side of the bridge.
Specifically, "a bearing and pier that support the upper deck" had to be repaired.
A press release from the Sherman Minton Renewal project said the problem was not previously visible.
The bridge was closed in both directions Wednesday night. The city of New Albany, the Sherman Minton Renewal project and transportation officials in both states began spreading the news that the closure would continue until further notice.
"I was just gonna go on my way, but now I'm late," Brown said.
Brown said he normally takes the bridge multiple times per day. The closures have been off and on since 2021, when the renewal project started.
A spokesperson for the Sherman Minton Renewal project said they are trying to reopen the bottom deck to two-way traffic "in the coming days."
Other drivers said the closure will stop them from doing food delivery and grocery delivery jobs.
"I take it usually anywhere from once to four-five times per day, because I do a lot of shop delivery for groceries. Not right now; I'm not going to be taking it," Sonia Randall said.
Randall said now it is a choice between waiting in traffic on the free Clark Memorial/2nd Street Bridge, or paying a toll.
"I would like to take 2nd Street. A lot of times we end up paying tolls we don't want to pay, because your time is worth more," Randall said.
Shop owners in downtown New Albany were let down by the news, but they say it is nothing new. Many of those shops have had to endure Main Street construction, as well as the Sherman Minton closures.
"I'm not really worried about it because I feel like people will find us. It's annoying --and it's annoying trying to tell people when they're trying to come over here, 'Oh, you gotta come over this way,'" JD Dotson said, owner of Regalo on Pearl Street.
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