LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Drivers who travel between Kentucky and southern Indiana are sharing their frustrations of the sudden closure of the Sherman Minton Bridge and now, many will have to adjust to lane closures on the Kennedy and Lincoln.
Three outside lanes in the shoulder of each bridge will be closed nightly from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday due to planned installation of new toll equipment by RiverLink.
The Sherman Minton Bridge closed suddenly on Thursday after officials discovered a portion of the bridge needed immediate repairs. Engineers with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Indiana’s Department of Transportation had been conducting detailed inspections of the Kentucky approach to the bridge to identify needed repairs to safely reopen the bridge.
Both top and bottom decks of the Sherman Minton remain closed until further notice.
Danny Lucas, a Louisville resident who works in New Albany, has not been too receptive to the news of more closures.
“I’m not looking forward to it honestly. But there’s guys to do it. Hopefully we can get some words soon of when the Sherman Minton is going to be done,” he said. "The traffic can get get pretty ridiculous especially during like rush hour times and all that."
Lucas said the adjustments are just more hoops he and co-workers will have to jump through getting to and from work, at RecBar.
Managers at the restaurant said the traffic burdens staffing too, with workers arriving up to an hour late for work, at no fault of their own.
Lucas said it's seemingly impacting business too.
"It definitely seems like it's been a little slower," he said. "I don't know how much it's the bridge or not, but it definitely doesn't make it any easier."
The bridge shutdowns are taking its own "toll" on drivers too.
With an already closed Sherman Minton bridge stretching commute times, commuters like Dan Tally underscore the difficulty of this next week, in particular.
"There's no there's no way to get around. You're just here," he said. "Either you stay in Indiana or you plan for a long trip."
Along with the Sherman Minton shutdown, two of the other main bridges linking Kentucky to Indiana by way of the Ohio--the Lincoln and Kennedy bridges--will have some of their lanes closed overnight. It's unwelcomed news to Tally.
"When they put struggles on both bridges, it adds 30 to 45 minutes to the commute," he said. "When they do the night closures it's impossible to get across. It's just a little bit disheartening."
Tally is now looking to beat the bottleneck, on his Monday morning commute.
"Typically, I'm at work at 8 a.m. and I leave at 7 a.m. with extra time, no stress. [Monday], I'll leave probably a little before 6 a.m. to try and get there by 8 a.m."
The overnight lane closures on the Lincoln and Kennedy bridges only last through Thursday morning.
As for the Sherman Minton, officials are expecting to announce a more detailed schedule for completion, Monday.
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