Ohio River Bridge Closing For Construction
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA southern Indiana bridge between Jeffersonville and Louisville is closing for six weeks. The George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge will be completely closed to all traffic beginning Tuesday for demolition of the Indiana bridge approach. July 7, 2014
News Release
Louisville, Ky. — The George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge (Second Street Bridge) is scheduled to close tomorrow, Tuesday, July 8, for construction in connection with the Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Crossing.
When
The Clark Memorial Bridge is expected to close first thing Tuesday morning, with the closure expected to begin around midnight.
Who is Affected
This will be a total closure, with the bridge closed to vehicular, bike and foot traffic.
How Long
The bridge is scheduled to be closed for just over six weeks. A date for its reopening will be provided as work progresses.
What Will Happen
The work that will be happening during the six-week closure is not on the bridge itself, but rather on the Indiana approach to the bridge. Demolition of the existing approach will begin early Tuesday morning and within hours, it will not be possible to access the bridge.
Roads Affected
Both directions of US 31 will be closed near the bridge, with drivers unable to access US 31 North and US 31 South north of Court Avenue.
One lane of US 31 South will be used for local access only, with drivers able to exit onto South Clark Boulevard.
Two lanes of Court Avenue, one in each direction, will be open during the six-week closure.
New Ramps Are Being Built
Crews will reconfigure how US 31 traffic accesses Court Avenue. Intensive work will be happening on the Indiana approach to the Clark Memorial Bridge during the next six weeks, with new US 31 entrance and exit ramps to and from Court Avenue being constructed. The new ramps will be in use when the bridge reopens.
Bridge to Reopen with New Traffic Pattern
When the Clark Memorial Bridge reopens in August, a new traffic pattern will be in effect for northbound traffic on US 31. All northbound drivers will have to detour through Jeffersonville. The new traffic pattern is expected to be in place for more than a year as a new flyover ramp is built from US 31 North to I-65 North.
Drivers wanting to access I-65 North will be directed to the 10th Street ramp. The detour will direct drivers from Court Avenue to Spring Street to 10th Street.
Number of Drivers Using the Clark Memorial Bridge
Just over 25,000 vehicles travel across the Clark Memorial Bridge on a daily basis. This represents just over 10% of daily cross-river travel between Louisville and southern Indiana. Nearly 225,000 vehicles are using the three bridges (Kennedy, Sherman Minton and Clark Memorial) on a daily basis.
The Kennedy Bridge carries more than 125,000 vehicles each day, with nearly 75,000 vehicles using the Sherman Minton Bridge.
Delays and Congestion Expected
Delays and congestion are expected, especially during the first few days of the closure. Drivers should be prepared and allow extra travel time. Adjusting travel plans to avoid peak travel times, carpooling and public transportation (www.ridetarc.org) are options to consider.
Source: Bridges Project-Downtown Crossing