Project Newsroom
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - (March 1, 2010) Ohio River Bridges Project officials and key advisory groups
have approved a preservation plan for the Phoenix Hill Historic District. The Historic Preservation Plan
(HPP) makes recommendations for improving or enhancing the historic nature of Phoenix Hill and
incorporating some of those elements into the design for the Kennedy Interchange (a.k.a "Spaghetti
Junction").
The HPP is the result of several years of collaboration with project officials and the Kentucky Historic
Preservation Advisory Team (KHPAT). It provides a history of the area, identifies landmark buildings
and structures and makes recommendations for preserving the district. The HPP provides historic context
for the district and makes recommendations for project design elements such as retaining walls and
landscaping.
"The HPP can help guide future planning and development in Phoenix Hill," said Jeff Vlach,
Environmental Commitments Manager for CTS, the general-engineering contractor for the Bridges
Project. "It allows us to capture the history of Phoenix Hill and incorporate some of its historic elements
as we look ahead to the design of the Kennedy Interchange." Read More »
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - (December 22, 2009) With the authorization of $100 million in bonds by Kentucky, the right-of-way process begins in earnest on the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project (LSIORBP).
"This week, we're contacting all residential property owners in Kentucky, plus the owners of some major parcels in downtown Louisville," according to Gary Valentine, project manager for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC). "We want to buy as much property as we can in the coming months."
The footprint for the entire project crosses nearly 300 privately and commercially owned properties on both sides of the Ohio River.
In the East End of Jefferson County, Ky., right of way will be acquired from 95 residential properties. No commercial properties are involved on the East End. Of the acquisitions, 38 involve relocations. Many of the acquisitions only involve small strips of land. To date, six residential properties and six units from a condominium have already been purchased in the East End. In addition, Rosewell, a historic property, was purchased as an environmental mitigation. Read More »
End End of Jefferson County, Ky.
Downtown Louisville
Design saves $66 million for Ohio River Bridges Project
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - (December 22, 2009) A major cost-reducing reconfiguration of the SR-265/SR-62 interchange has been unveiled for Clark County, Ind. It's a Diverging Diamond, a unique concept for the U.S., but one that has been used in Europe for many years.
A Diverging Diamond is a more efficient design than a full cloverleaf because it has a smaller footprint, meaning less right-of-way land will be purchased. It also allows the use of existing overpass bridges.
"This design is cutting the cost in half," says Kevin Hetrick, the project manager of the Ohio River Bridges Project (ORBP) for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). The preliminary estimate from the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was $118 million. The new estimate based on the Diverging Diamond is approximately $52 million. Read More »
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