Ohio River Bridge Project

Summary:

The high-profile Ohio River project is a testament to what can be accomplished in a focused environment of teamwork and accountability. This Ohio River crossing connects downtown Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana and is critical for national commerce along I-65. Over time, the demand for its use had outgrown its age and capacity; being built in the 1960s, it had fallen short of modern design standards, compromising the overall safety of this corridor. The solution for this scenario was to build a new bridge adjacent to the existing one, with new interchanges being designed on both sides of the river. Doing so in a densely populated urban setting was a monumental challenge. The schedule mandated that a massive team of Right-of-Way consultants be engaged for efficiency because 48 land parcels needed to be acquired, including residential, multi-family, commercial, warehouse, office, and storage properties. Due to environmental requirements, five historic homes were physically moved to provide for the footprint of the new bridge. The communication and coordination required to perform such a task involved several stakeholders – INDOT, appraisal team, buyers, relocation specialists, plan commissions, house movers, multiple utilities, police, realtors, public involvement, general contractors, and historic interest groups.

Due to the dedicated, focused approach, the project team was able to achieve all project goals weeks ahead of schedule and several million dollars under budget.