Agreements Finalized for Ohio River Bridges Project

AASHTO Journal, 19 October 2012

A $2.584 billion project that will add two new river crossings in Louisville, Kentucky has cleared a major hurdle and will now move forward, said officials from both Kentucky and Indiana on Tuesday.

Agreements were finalized between the two states, which protect the legal and financial interests of both Kentucky and Indiana. Those agreements include budget and financing specifics, environmental and workforce commitments, operations and maintenance details, and toll collection and enforcement provisions.

The states are working together to build these two crossings in order to create a cross-river transportation route to meet the needs of Louisville and southern Indiana. Kentucky has been deemed responsible for the Downtown Crossing, while Indiana is responsible for the East End Crossing.

Representatives from both states were happy to see the project move forward with the completion of the agreements.

“This is a critical step toward achieving this long-sought project to increase cross-river mobility for commercial carriers, workday commuters, and others who travel between Louisville and Southern Indiana,” said Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Mike Hancock in a statement.

“The development agreement ties together each state’s portion of the project and reaffirms the ‘two bridges, one project’ concept,” said Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Michael Cline.

Right-of-way will be complete sometime in 2013, while the design phase should finish in 2014. Construction began last August on the project and it is scheduled to be completed at some point in 2018.

More information on the Ohio River Bridges Project and the recently finalized agreements is available on the project website.

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