Project Newsroom
Louisville, Ky. - (October 30, 2008) - In a joint request, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) have asked the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to extend the submission deadline for the first annual update of the Ohio River Bridges Project's multi-billion-dollar Financial Plan. The request must still be approved by the FHWA.
"We are actively engaged and working closely with project consultants, the Bi-State Management Team and FHWA representatives to update the Financial Plan," said KYTC Project Manager, Gary Valentine. "We anticipate a smooth process."
The project's Initial Financial Plan, approved January 2, 2008, outlines project costs, schedule and funding sources. According to the Initial Financial Plan, the cost estimate for the project in year-of-expenditure dollars is $4.1 billion. Kentucky's share is $2.9 billion, and Indiana's share is $1.15 billion. Read More »
September 2008 - A team of environmental specialists is combing the Utica, Jeffersonville, Indiana area, looking for evidence of wetlands affected by the Ohio River Bridges Project. The crew, certified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to recognize wetlands, is looking for soil, plant life and water that could indicate the presence of a wetland.
Two environmental specialists and a surveyor are walking 195 acres that fall within the footprint of the Ohio River Bridges Project. The search area, from the existing I-265 interchange at Highway 62 to the Ohio River, is crossed by three separate Lentzier Creek tributaries. The team, from Burgess & Niple Engineering firm, which oversees the Indiana approach to the East End Bridge, uses flags to mark potential wetland boundaries and then electronically maps the area using GPS technology. Read More »
September, 2008 - On September 6, 2003, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) signed the Record of Decision approving the design and construction of the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project. In the five years since, significant progress has been made in many areas, including design, environmental and historic obligations, bridge-type selections and public involvement.
The Ohio River Bridges Project calls for building two bridges and the highways leading to them, including a reconfiguration of the Kennedy Interchange (a.k.a. Spaghetti Junction). The estimated cost for completion is $4.1 billion, making it the third-largest federally funded transportation project in the country.
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September 2008 - Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Joe Prather has named Gary Valentine as project manager of the Ohio River Bridges Project. Valentine assumed the position effective September 2, replacing Interim Project Manager Matt Bullock.
Valentine has worked in various capacities in KYTC's District 4, based in Elizabethtown, since 1990. Most recently, Valentine worked as District 4's Branch Manager for Pre-Construction, overseeing the areas of Environmental, Design, Right-of-Way, and Utility Relocation for all District 4 projects in the Kentucky Highway Plan. Prior to that, Valentine worked as District 4's Design Engineer, overseeing project managers and the district's survey crew while continuing project engineering and project management duties. Read More »
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