News Headlines on Louisville Area Transportation
COMPLETE ARCHIVE

Soaring gas prices have caused ridership to increase, and TARC to add trips to its Plainview and Oldham County Express bus lines. The new I-71 Oldham County Express line has proven to be particularly popular.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will start work on the realignment of the Gene Snyder Freeway interchange with US 42 in Prospect. The exit ramp will be realigned next to the entrance ramp, and a traffic light will be installed at the foot of the ramps. Work is expected to be finished in mid-2007.

Officials from Harrison County have informed a Louisville Metro councilman that while there are more pressing transportation needs, they will stay out of the way and monitor progress on Councilman Doug Hawkins's proposal to build a bridge linking southwestern Jefferson County with Harrison County.

Most of TARC's original proposed bus service changes will take effect August 21st.

#1 Fourth Street Trolley - Service will be cut back to every 12 minutes from 7am to 7pm (6pm on Saturdays), and every 20 minutes to 10pm.

#4 - Morning rush-hour service reduced to every 10 minutes; midday will continue to run every 12 minutes. Sunday frequency increased to run every 30 minutes.

#6 - Route is extended south on New Cut to serve the Kmart and Wal-Mart. Approx. every other weekday trip will serve those locations. On weekends, most trips during the daytime and some at night will use the extension.

#18 - All trips currently terminating at 16th/Algonquin are extended to Dixie/Heaton.

#25 - On weekends, service to St. Matthews is discontinued; all weekend trips turn around at Everett/Grinstead. Service to St. Matthews is maintained on weekdays only. (The original proposal called for all trips to turn around at Everett.)

#29 - All St. Matthews trips will now go to Oxmoor Center. Sunday/holiday service to St. Matthews is reinstated, and weekend hours have been extended. Changes from original proposal: buses will no longer use Barney/Alta/Cowling; they will stay on Cherokee Road to Spring Drive. Buses will also no longer use Westport/Hubbards/Massie, and will no longer use the Thierman/Oechsli/Sears loop. All westbound trips will go to Cane Run Road and will no longer turn around at Heaton.

#30 Bardstown Road Trolley - discontinued.

#37 - Route has been extended to Fairdale, serving most stops used by Route 48. Changes from original proposal: Reverse commute trips will serve new stops at the UPS Logistics Center. Service to Tin Dor Estates discontinued.

#48 - Discontinued, see #37.

#51 - Discontinued.

#63 - Sunday service will be added, using the same schedule times as current Saturday service.

#64 - Most trips now terminate at Crestwood, with one morning and one afternoon trip continuing to La Grange.

#67 I-71 Express (NEW ROUTE) - Will provide service from park-and-ride lots at La Grange, Buckner, and Crestwood.

#77 - Extended service to 8pm, 6:30 pm on Saturdays.

The Indiana Dept. of Transportation has recently purchased the first piece of property to be used for the Ohio River Bridges Project. The 7-acre tract of vacant land in eastern Clark County is part of a combined 382 acres on both sides of the river that will be purchased; Kentucky and Indiana plan to finish their purchases in 2008 and 2009.

A study released by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet yesterday suggests widening a 9.3-mile section of KY 22. The study suggests widening the two-lane section between Herr Lane and Hurstbourne Parkway to three lanes, the section from KY 1408 to the KY 329 bypass to three lanes, and the section from KY 1604 to KY 1408 to five. If these recommendations are accepted, the project could cost up to $69 million and would be done over the next 10-20 years.

As a result of a year-long study, TARC is proposing a series of bus route changes, mergers, and improvements.

• Evening service frequency on the 4th Street Trolley would be cut back.
• Reduce peak hour frequencies on Route 4 from every 8-10 minutes to every 10, and add service on Sunday.
• Route 6 would be extended to the shopping center at New Cut/Outer Loop.
• Route 18 would provide more trips to Dixie/Heaton by extening trips now stopping at 16th/Algonquin.
• Route 25 would have service east of Everett discontinued; weekend frequencies would improve.
• Route 29 would be extended to Oxmoor Center, and its service frequency would improve.
• The Bardstown Road Trolley and Fourth Avenue Circulator would be discontinued.
• Route 48 would be discontinued, and Route 37 would be extended to serve most areas currently served by Route 48.
• Route 63 would add Sunday service.
• Evening service on the Main Street Trolley would be extended to 10pm.

Public hearings are scheduled on June 21, 22, and 24. Please see the linked article for further details.

A new express route will start in August providing service from Oldham County to Louisville. The route will follow I-71 and include stops at park-and-ride lots at Exits 14 (KY 329, Crestwood/Brownsboro), 18 (KY 393, Centerfield/Buckner), and 22 (KY 53, La Grange).

The following adjustments to TARC's bus service have taken effect May 29th:

• Instead of switching between 22nd and 23rd via Wilson Ave, Route 22 buses now switch using Dumesnil (southbound trips) and Oak (northbound trips).
• Extended morning and evening hours for Saturday service to New Albany on Route 22.
• Extended evening service to the Bashford Manor Wal-Mart on Route 23 by continuing trips that formerly stopped at Bardstown and Goldsmith.
• Minor time adjustments on Routes 18, 22, 48, 62, and 64.

The extension of Hurstbourne Parkway from Bardstown Road to Fern Valley Road is now open. No link to a news article or anything; your humble author drove on the extension today, along with other cars. Get out your markers and update your maps!

Kentucky highway officials have pushed back the proposed opening date of the Hurstbourne Parkway extension from Bardstown Road to Fern Valley Road to somewhere in mid-June. Heavy rains and saturated ground prevented plans to open the extension in December, and once again by Derby Day.

Because of a projected $2.1 billion shortfall in the next 10 years, INDOT officials are creating a new 10-year highway plan and will be seeking input from residents on prioritizing 254 highway projects.

The list includes work on two proposed bridges over the Ohio River, additional traffic lanes on I-65 in northern Clark county, additional lanes on I-64 in Floyd, and on Highway 111 from Beechwood Ave. to Highway 60.

Portland residents are concerned about a plan to convert sections of Portland Avenue and Bank Streets to two-way streets. The traffic changes are at the request of Kroger to improve access to a new store being built at 35th & Bank.

At a meeting held last week, residents were concerned that the changes would "hurt street parking and access, complicate turns onto Bank and Portland from side streets, and threaten the safety of children playing in the area".

Metro Council must approve an ordnance to allow the changes to take place, and city officials must get approval from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet since those sections of Portland and Bank are maintained by the state.

INDOT officials are conducting final inspections on the Revive 65 project, and expect work to be "completely done" in two weeks. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for the middle of June.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has signed several bills into law, including one that will raise the maximum legal speed limit on Indiana highways to 70 miles per hour. While the law will take effect July 1, it may take longer to post higher speed limits on some sections of highway since the Indiana Department of Transportation must conduct engineering studies to determine where higher limits would be safe and feasible.

Though legislation increasing the legal maximum speed from 65 to 70 mph would take effect on July 1, transportation officials may take longer to decide exactly where to set higher speed limits. According to an INDOT spokeswoman, the agency must first conduct engineering studies, and though there is no timeline for completing the studies, the agency does not expect to take many years.

Work will begin this summer on a proposed $2.5 million project to add bike lanes, sidewalks, curbs, underground drainage, and landscaping to a stretch of Shelbyville Road from Blankenbaker Parkway to the Gene Snyder Freeway. Construction will take place in five phases, the first of which runs from Old Harrods Creek Road to Bliss Avenue; state, Louisville metro, and Middletown city officials plan to contribute to the first phase of the project, but the rest of the phases are not yet funded.

In March, officials in Shelby County got their first look at plans to widen the section of I-64 between the Gene Snyder Freeway to mile marker 35. The $120 million project is expected to be completed in 2011 or 2012. Options for interchange improvements have yet to be decided; the environmental impact study is expected to be finished by the end of 2006.

Proposed legislation to increase rural speed limits from 65 to 70 mph has passed both chambers of the Indiana General Assembly, and has been sent to Gov. Mitch Daniels. Under the speed-limit bill, truck speed limits on rural highways would incrase from 60 to 65 mph, and certain sections of four-lane highways divided by barriers or medians would increase from 55 to 60. Certain freeways would jump from 55 to 65. The increase speed limits would take effect July 1.

Also: Indianapolis Star

Work will begin this summer on a project to widen a section of Bashford Manor Lane and replace a bridge. The section between Newburg Road and Mayo Drive will be widened to include a center turn lane; that section includes a narrow two-lane bridge that will have to be replaced.

The $1.3 million project, in the planning stages since 2000, would have started last year but for problems with money and right-of-way acquisition. Detours are expected to last up to 90 days.

State highway officials are saying that the Hurstbourne Parkway extension from Bardstown Road to Fern Valley Road will open by Derby Day. Construction began in 2002 on the $27.8 million project; there were delays in utility relocation and right-of-way acquisition.

Starting tomorrow, KIPDA is conducting a series of open houses where residents of Jefferson and Oldham Counties can voice their concerns and ideas on proposed long-range transportation improvements in the draft of the agency's Horizon 2030 Regional Transportation Plan Update. Details about the proposals are available at available online.

In Oldham County, planners are considering adding a roundabout (a compact traffic circle) to the intersection of US 42 and Hayfield Way, at the entrance to a subdivision. State highway planners are considering roundabouts in Jefferson County at the 3-way intersection of KY 155 and KY 148 between Jeffersontown and Fisherville, and on Brownsboro Road at Seminary Drive.

In a move they say will improve efficiency, Indiana and Kentucky transportation officials have decided to split up the job of acquiring land for the $1.9 billion Ohio River Bridges Project. Allowing subcontractors working on various sections to buy land in those areas -- instead of having one manager handle land acquisition -- makes more sense, officials say.

An effort to build two bridges over the Ohio River might be the most popular road project on the horizon for Hoosier drivers, but it's not the only major transportation venture in the works for Southern Indiana.

At the request of residents, highway workers are planning to landscape the entire length of the Westport Road widening project with shrubbery and possibly trees.

A bill approved by Indiana's Commerce and Transportation Senate Committee would raise the speed limit on Indiana's rural interstate highways to 70 mph. Insurance lobbyists do not support this bill, of course, but proponents say a 70 mph speed limit would not increase speeds by more than 1 or 2 mph.

Gov. Ernie Fletcher's recently proposed budget would exclude some university research and facility expansion projects. The budget would split $622 million of borrowed money between such projects and highway projects.

After the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet declined an early buyout offer, a couple who owns land directly in the chosen path of the east-end bridge has chosen to go ahead and build a house there.

According to state highway officials, the state did not purchase the land because of a law that says that if the state buys land and doesn't use it for highway construction within eight years, then it must sell the land back to the former owner or at public auction.

The state does not plan to start buying out property until 2006, when design and engineering work are scheduled to be completed, and even then this is contingent on whether sufficient federal highway funds become available at that time.

Minor adjustments are being made to several TARC routes. They will take effect Sunday, January 23. New bus schedules should be available on schedule racks across the area now, and on the web site by January 23.

Route 2 will have additional UPS service on weekdays, and one Sunday/holiday trip from UPS will originate at the airport instead. One morning trip will be discontinued on Route 6. Route 45 will provide additional service to Commerce Crossing. The Main Street Trolley will now provide service to Fourth Street Live and will turn around at Wenzel instead of at Clay and Washington. Additional trips were added on Route 84 in December.

On Route 18, Camp Taylor trips will travel on Belmar in both directions and will no longer travel on Fincastle. The route will also provide additional service to the JCC Southwest campus.

Watch out for minor time adjustments on Routes 2, 6, 18, 22, 45, 48, and 68.

Recent ice, snow, and rain has forced New Albany to close Spring Hill Drive due to the risk of landslides after a section of the street was seen slumping.

The street, a main route to the Silver Hills subdivision, is narrow and steep, and has had a history of problems due to poor drainage.

Two long-term solutions to fix the problem have been proposed. Steel beams would be driven into the ground until they reach stable bedrock 50-60 feet below the road under one proposal. The other solution would be to excavate the entire length of the road to the bedrock.

Limited work on a project to renovate the Clarksville section of Eastern Boulevard will begin soon, but is not expected to be finished until 2006 because of the limited funding available. The renovation project will widen the Boulevard to 5 lanes between the Lewis and Clark Parkway and Kopp Lane in three stages. The section from Kopp Lane to the I-65 interchange was widened as part of the Revive 65 project.

Thanks to Rep. Anne Northup, about $2.75 million in federal money has been obtained for a small number of local projects in southern Jefferson county:

• to widen Mount Washington Road, Cedar Creek Road, and Beulah Church Road,
• the reconstruction of Fegenbush Lane between Beulah Church and Watterson Trail,
• and to widen a ramp at the 65/Snyder interchange.

The Fegenbush project is under way and in the state's six-year road plan; the other projects still need additional funds.

CSX has announced that because the city of Shepherdsville has found two railroad crossings that can be closed, they are finally allowing the city to build a railroad crossing to complete the Adam Shepherd Parkway.

Most of the parkway has already been built, but without approval to build the crossing, the parkway did nothing to relieve congestion on KY 61 and KY 44. While some new stores already built in the area have done well, others have been holding off on plans to build in the area until the crossing was approved.

Heavy rain in the past couple of months has delayed the Revive 65 project once again; officials expect it to be completed at the end of January 2005 now. While most of the project is complete, work continues at the L&I Railroad overpass in Clarksville, and some final work on signs and grading is being done at the IN 60 interchange in Sellersburg.

State highway officials are saying that if wet weather continues to persist, then the Hurstbourne Parkway extension project linking Bardstown Road and Fern Valley Road may not be finished until spring 2005. Workers have not been able to lay asphalt as fast as they would like in the wet weather; if they don't finish before December 15th when asphalt plants stop production for the winter, they will have to wait until spring to finish the job. Construction, which began in summer 2002, has also been slow because of problems in right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation.

Work is expected to begin this spring on a project to change sections of Portland Avenue and Bank Street from one-way to two-way. The streets were converted to one-way traffic in 1962 to improve traffic flow after the nearby Sherman-Minton Bridge was opened. This change is at the request of Kroger, who plans to start work next spring on a store at 35th & Bank to replace an aging smaller store near 32nd & Portland.

Similar changes were made to sections of Oak and St. Catherine Streets in Old Louisville two years ago; the article reports that traffic light timing issues are still causing rush-hour congestion.

According to a report commissioned by economic development agencies from Louisville, Lexington, and Northern Kentucky, only 60% of the gas taxes and license plate fees collected from Kentucky's three major metropolitan areas is going back to highway projects in those areas; the rest are spent in rural areas. The biggest disparity is in Louisville, which only receives 45% of its money in road work.

This is part of a study on the state's economy conducted by the group. The report recommends updating the road work spending formulas (of course), eliminating personal income taxes, consolidating city and county rural governments, and other measures.

11 months after it was supposed to be completed, the Adam Shepherd Parkway is still not yet finished. The city still hasn't received approval from CSX to build a required railroad crossing because it still needs to find three other crossings to close, but is assuring local businesses that it will be able to finish the project in nine months.

Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, a NYC-based contractor with an office in Louisville, has been selected by officials from the KYTC and the INDOT to design the new east-end bridge over the Ohio River. In the past, the firm designed the William H. Natcher bridge in Owensboro, as well as award-winning bridges in Rhode Island and Great Britain.

Clarksville town officials are looking into a plan to widen a one-mile stretch of Eastern Boulevard in Clarksville. The widening would provide a center turn lane. A short portion near the intersection with Lewis and Clark Parkway and a portion near the I-65 interchange are already five lanes wide. Work would begin next year under the proposal.

The Michael Baker Corporation, a Pennsylvania-based firm that designed the cable-stayed bridge recently built in Maysville, KY, has been selected to design the new Downtown bridge for the Ohio River Bridges Project.

Work has started on the underside of the Kennedy Bridge. After some tests are completed, work will begin in earnest if the cabinet approves. Lane closures are expected to only take place a few times, and only during nights and weekends.

Consultants with the team managing the redesign of Spaghetti Junction are considering changes to the project which would reduce the amount of concrete used at Waterfront Park. Changes considered include the removal of planned ramps from/to downtown Louisville and eliminating as many pillars as possible supporting I-64, perhaps even buliding a suspension bridge. This comes after Metro officials expressed concerns that the original plans would put two additional acres of parkland under concrete.

Readers of Bob Hill's Courier-Journal column are among those who have their own ideas on bridge designs for the Downtown and East End bridges, some serious, others not so.

TARC has unveiled three new buses powered by hybrid diesel-electric motors, two more are on the way, and even more transportation policy changes are in store. This news comes after a light-rail project was shelved due, in part, to disappointing ridership forecasts and increasing cost estimates. Meanwhile, pending legislation to allow the use of tolls to raise revenue on federally-funded highway projects is likely to put tollbooths in Louisville's future, as the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet proposes to collect tolls on both new bridges as well as additional lanes proposed for I-71.

Louisville Metro officials are conducting a meeting next week where they will present options for an extension of Cooper Chapel Road that would connect Beulah Church Road to Bardstown Road.

There is no money for the project at this time, but much like the Fern Creek-Middletown connector proposal, officials want to put together a plan before more development starts in the area.

At a meeting last week where Kentucky transportation officials presented options to improve KY 44 from Shepherdsville to Mount Washington, residents generally supported a widening to five lanes. Pre-construction phases on this $80 million option would take over a decade.

A project started in December 2001 to widen a segment of New Cut Road is expected to be finished by the end of September. The segment from Third Street Road to the Gene Snyder Freeway is being widened from two to five lanes (this article reports four).

After unexpected delays, work is expected to begin in October on a project to renovate the bridge carrying Green Valley Road over I-265 in New Albany. The work is scheduled to be finished in early November, and state highway officials encourage you to use an alternate route.

A district engineer has officially stated that he believes that the Revive 65 project could be finished by Thanksgiving this year, if the weather is good. The L&I Railroad overpass is expected to be completed this week, after long delays due to lack of steel supplies. And interchange work needs to be finished at IN 60. The project is mostly completed other than those two sites.

It's down to five architecture/engineering firms now, who will be chosen from to design the downtown and east-end bridges for the Bridges Project.

Bob Hill wrote an editorial on the subject for the September 14, 2004 issue of the Courier-Journal.

A KYTC study of solutions to mitigate congestion on KY 44 between Shepherdsville and Mount Washington is nearing completion. A meeting scheduled for September 9th will discuss options, including widening to five lanes and simply adding turning lanes at busy intersections. A major widening would cut into numerous parking lots and front yards and likely require a few buildings to be demolished.

Now that Oldham County is in line to receive federal grant money, officials from the county and TARC are proposing to start a direct express route from La Grange (or some other location) via I-71 to Downtown Louisville. Route 64, TARC's current "express" service to Oldham County, serves La Grange, Crestwood, Pewee Valley, and Fincastle, and only uses I-71 in Jefferson County, a trip that takes about an hour. Elimination of the current route is not part of this proposal.

August Service Changes - Routes 2, 70, and 82 are no longer pulling into River Falls Mall, and have been extended to the new Sam's/Walmart location off Veterans Parkway. Trips on Route 6 via Lindbergh/Larchmont are being rerouted via 7th to Central to Taylor. Trips on Route 21 via Dutchman's Lane will take Taylorsville Road instead of Bon Air, Gardiner, Betty, and Wendell. A time change is effective on route 23 morning trips to Atherton High School.

In other news, Route 48 no longer pulls into residential streets off Mount Holly Road, and a parking lot at 7105 Floydsburg Road will no longer be used as a park-and-ride by passengers on Route 64.

Construction work has started on a project to widen and add turning lanes to KY 22 between the Gene Snyder Freeway and Brownsboro Glen Road, about 1/2 mile east. Work is expected to be finished by June 2005.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official end to 18 months of construction work on the Shawnee Expressway project. The extensive rehabilitation project was finished on time, and according to a Transportation Cabinet engineer, on budget.

(NOTE: Construction work is still in progress on Dixie Highway under I-264, as well as the westbound I-264 exits to northbound and southbound Dixie.)

The Sherman-Minton Bridge was closed for a few hours last night after a barge struck one of the piers. After the bridge was inspected, it was reopened shortly after 6 a.m.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has posted an announcement on its web site for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the end of the Shawnee Expressway project. It's scheduled for August 11 at 11 a.m.

The state of Indiana is paying Kentucky one-half the cost of the project to paint the I-65 bridge over the Ohio River. This is in accord with a little-known section of an agreement signed between the states shortly before the bridge opened in 1963.

Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan has named two Indiana-based teams to design the ramps in Clark County that will be built as part of the Ohio River Bridges Project.

The Evening News also published a story.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has once again posted construction progress photos on its 264info.com web site, and says that the contractor is on schedule to finish the project in August.

A Louisville councilman is not dropping his proposal for building a bridge across the Ohio River linking to Harrison County, Indiana. Officials in Harrison County like the idea but say they cannot support it because it's an issue that the state must deal with.

Kentucky state highway officials are notifying citizens that work on the project to widen Westport Road is expected to begin in six to eight weeks. Work on the first phase of the project, between the Watterson Expressway and Lyndon Lane, is expected to be cmpleted by October 2005. The other three phases of the project are from Lyndon Lane to Hurstbourne Parkway, from Hubbards Lane to the Watterson, and a new interchange with the Watterson; officials hope to let contracts on these phases next year, but say that utility relocation issues are keeping the timetable "iffy".

Workers began demolising a small, aging bridge on KY 1531 in eastern Jefferson County, and expect construction on its replacement bridge to be finished next month. A detour via South English Station Road, Echo Trail, and Gilliland Road has been posted.

A panel discussion sponsored by a Jeffersonville church discussed the effects of the planned Ohio River Bridges in southern Indiana.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet started soliciting top international bridge design teams for design proposals for the new downtown and east-end bridges.

Construction on the Adam Shepherd Parkway in Shepherdsville has been stopped at a CSX railroad crossing because the city has not yet received approval from the railroad; a CSX policy is forcing the city to find three other crossings in the area that the railroad can close.

The contracting firm working on the project to build the Conestoga Parkway in Bullitt County has been working on flattening a hill for the past three months, and is only halfway finished.

Strapped-for-funds Oldham County is considering a system to decide which roads are resurfaced each year that uses criteria based on the conditions of each road; a similar system is in use in Lexington.

State highway officials have made a preliminary recommendation on a new route extending Old Henry Road and bypassing Pewee Valley and Crestwood. Routes 6 and 45-B, illustrated in an inset to an August 2003 article, were selected. Combined, they require the fewest relocations. The decision is not final; an environmental study and final public hearings will be conducted in the coming months.

Louisville officials are working on plans for a new series of roads between Fern Creek and Middletown parallel to the Gene Snyder Freeway. They are expediting the process in order to prevent developers from building in the possible routes.

Jeffersonville leaders say that the project to widen 10th Street is behind schedule and $200,000 over budget, but hope to find new revenue sources to make up the difference.

Kentucky state highway officials have signed a contract with a new firm to paint the Kennedy Bridge. The project is expected to restart as early as August, and a July 31, 2006 deadline has been imposed.

Louisville Metro officials are proposing a project to build a two-lane extension of River Road west of Downtown Louisville. The first phase would extend the road to 12th Street at an industrial area north of Main Street, and the second phase would connect with Northwesetern Parkway. A contract is planned to be awarded for final design work this summer.

Now that four bids have come in, KYTC officials plan to award the contract to finish the project to paint the Kennedy Bridge as early as next week. Work is scheduled to begin by August 1...

On Tuesday, road crews will begin work on the project to rebuild the Lewis and Clark Parkway in Clarksville.

A report released by an environmental group and a budget watchdog group says that while there is justification for the downtown bridge and the rebuilding of Spaghetti Junction, the eastern bridge is not necessary, would create spawl on the Indiana side of Prospect, and endanger historic sites, farmland, and the environment. The report also criticizes the I-66 project in Kentucky.

Surprised last week when area businesses objected to a project to add turn lanes to a section of Lyndon Lane, city officials are not delaying the project...

KIPDA will be holding some hearings next month to discuss updates to Horizon 2030, a document describing the region's long-term transportation needs. The planning document is used by the KYTC and INDOT to help prioritize state highway projects in the region.

TARC's board of directors voted yesterday to increase some fares effective July 1.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held today to start the $46.1 million project to widen Westport Road. The section between Hubbards Lane and Hurstbourne Parkway will be widened to five lanes, and a new interchange with the Watterson Expressway is planned. Contracts on some phases of the project have yet to be awarded.

The section of Fourth Street between Muhammad Ali Boulevard and Liberty Street, has opened to pedestrian traffic yesterday, and is expected to open to vehicles late next month. The section was closed in the late 1970s for construction of the Galleria downtown shopping mall.

Nine companies are competing on a bid to design the ramps and highways leading to two new bridges over the Ohio River. Design of the approaches to the new bridges is expected to cost no more than $28 million total.

TARC is preparing to increase some fares starting July 1, 2004. TARC officials say that existing fares, federal/state grants, and the current occupational tax are not generating enough revenue, and are not ruling out more increases in the future. The increases would have to be approved at a May 24th board of directors meeting.

A local environmentalist group is asking a federal judge to require Metro Louisville to fund two programs designed to increase bus ridership as a penalty for eliminating vehicle emissions testing. One program would reduce bus fares during summer months; another program would implement software for a computerized trip planning system that would be accessible on the Internet.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the last section of the Veterans Parkway is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday morning. The section from I-65 to the New Albany-Charlestown Pike is set to be open to traffic soon after the ceremony.

Citing lack of funds and political support, TARC executive director Barry Barker announced that it will put the Transportation Tomorrow light-rail project on hold for the forseeable future. TARC intends to focus on bus and transit improvements.

A Southern Indiana developer has decided not to build homes for a new subdivision even though he received approval from the Clark County Plan Commission.

TARC is conducting a meeting tomorrow evening to discuss proposed fare increases that would take effect July 1, 2004.

As of April 2004, most of the westbound portion of the Shawnee Expressway is finished as crews work on the eastbound portion, and motorists in both directions are using the new pavement. Crews are still expected to finish the project in August.

Engineers with the Indiana Department of Transportation say that this time they are sure that work on the Revive 65 project will be finished this year.

The section of I-65 between Eastern Boulevard and I-265 is scheduled to be completed by July 4. As work on the railroad overpass has fallen a year behind schedule, the section from Eastern Boulevard to the railroad overpass is not expected to be finished until the end of the year. The section between I-265 and IN 311 is also not expected to be done until the year's end.

Also still to be finished this year: work on the interchanges at Stansifer Avenue, Lewis and Clark Parkway, Veterans Parkway, and IN 60, and connecting IN 60 to US 31. Officials expect the southbound exit to the Lewis and Clark Parkway to be closed for another month.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet just finished a series of public meetings conducted to gather input on ways to plans to improve the section from downtown Louisville to the Gene Snyder Freeway and/or other ways to alleviate the increased traffic. Among the usual concerns brought up by residents: that a widening would result in more subdivisions in Oldham County instead of less congestion.

Officials say that the section of Veterans Parkway east of I-65 may be finished as early as next week, two weeks earlier than expected after soil erosion problems delayed the section. While access from/to I-65 and Hamburg Pike will be available, access to US 31 will not be.

The Jeffersonville Evening News reported that the state has set a deadline of May 15.

Nothing new or exciting reported here.

A 15-mile stretch of Ind. 64 between English and Birdseye has been closed indefinitely after a short portion of the road collapsed near the border separating Crawford and Dubois counties early yesterday.

At a public meeting last week in the Butchertown neighborhood, many residents voiced strong opinions against adding additional lanes to I-71, favoring methods of mass transit.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is also soliciting for public comments online at http://www.kytc.ky.gov/d5/.

Over the next three weeks, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will hold meetings to solicit comments from the public on a proposal to widen I-71. Plans were originally in the works to add one lane in each direction to I-71; the Cabinet said an environmental review was not necessary because the lanes would be added to the grassy median and environmental effects would be minimal. However, the Federal Highway Administration agreed with environmentalists and ordered the state to solicit comments and conduct the environmental study.

SEE ALSO: http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/04/16ky/B2-cope0416-4246.html

Now that the Veterans Parkway interchange with I-65 is fully open, workers are now partially closing the Lewis & Clark Parkway interchange. The southbound ramp from the parkway to I-65 will be closed for the next five weeks; motorists can use the northbound frontage road, turn around at Veterans Parkway, and use the newly-opened southbound ramp to I-65. (The Courier-Journal reported that the southbound ramp from I-65 to the Lewis & Clark is closed.)

The project engineer hopes to have all four southbound lanes in that section of I-65 open by the first part of next week, to open additional northbound lanes in four or five weeks, and have all remaining work done on that section of the project done by early June.

Additional coverage on the report released by Environmental Defense and the National Resource Defense Council.

A report released yesterday by two Washington, DC environmental groups states that while a new downtown bridge is "necessary to address safety and congestion issues", the Bridges Project's final environmental study did not thoroughly consider its effects on the environment and on historic properties.

More information about the report is available from Environmental Defense's web site.

A section of Watterson Trail between Stone Bluff Road and Village Point Drive will be closed to through traffic until August 29 because of work on the Husrtbourne Parkway extension.

Work is starting on a project to add turn lanes to a 13-foot section of US 42 north of the Jefferson/Oldham County line. The work is expected to be finished in three to four weeks.

After pleading by local officials, a project to widen two miles of KY 44 in Mount Washington is back in Kentucky's six-year highway plan. The project was restored under its original timeline, where design work would be completed in 2008, and the right-of-way and utilities phases would be done in 2009. The plan still does not specify when construction would be done.

A highway bill passed last Friday by the United States House includes funding for a proposed new I-64 interchange in Harrison County, which would be located west of the existing Corydon interchange.

The southbound exit ramp from I-65 to the Lewis & Clark Parkway will be closed for five weeks, so that a new ramp can be constructed as part of the Revive 65 project.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has announced that it is ready to continue the job of painting the Kennedy bridge and expects to finish the job before the end of 2005.

Bernheim Forest officials are proposing to spend $25 million to build tunnels and/or overpasses across I-65 to connect Bernheim Forest and Fort Knox, so that wildlife can travel between the two wildlife sanctuaries without endangering themselves by crossing I-65.

A report released by a non-for-profit organization funded largely by highway contractors says that Kentucky's highways are "deteriorating", costing the average person over $1,300 per year.

As work is winding down on the project to repair a section of Corydon Pike to prevent future mud and rock slides, workers have re-opened the section in New Albany and Floyd County. Temporary one-lane closures may happen as work finishes.

A new 2-lane bridge over Floyds Fork will open has opened to the public on Friday. The project replaced an old one-lane bridge carrying Aiken Road that was closed in July 2002 after inspectors found deterioration.

Work on the project to renovate the Lewis & Clark Parkway is now scheduled to start in mid-May or early June. The parkway will receive additional lanes, new medians, and new traffic lights. The work will start between I-65 and Green Tree Mall, and work on the western section is ecpected to commence in 2005.

According to the recommended six-year highway plan, work on the Westport Road project is scheduled to start by 2005. While the state-funded portion of the project between Hurstbourne Parkway and Herr Lane is relatively uncertain, the federally-funded portion including the portion between Herr Lane and Hubbards Lane and an interchange with the Watterson Expressway is likely to stay on schedule.

Also cut from the state's six-year highway plan was a project to widen KY 44 east of the US 31E/150 bypass in Mount Washington. In addition, the completion of a Preston Highway widening project was pushed back from 2008 to 2009.

Most of the section of Corydon Pike in New Albany and Floyd County will close for one or two weeks. Workers will make repairs to prevent further mud and rock slides after heavy rain saturation bluffs along the road.

The developer of a new subdivision south of LaGrange has agreed to pay for construction of a second northbound lane on a 1/3-mile stretch of KY 53 near the subdivision.

While no projects in Jefferson County have been dropped from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's recommended six-year road plan, construction on a Taylorsville bypass for KY 44 and the design phase on a project to widen KY 44 in Mount Washington east of the US 31E/150 bypass have been delayed indefinitely.

The Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency has started work on the next version of its transportation master plan, which will cover projects and programs through 2030.

Senator Jim Bunning shocked some local civic leaders at a luncheon on Friday when he stated that the construction of one of the bridges in Louisville would have to be delayed because of a need for one across the Ohio River in Cincinnati. Representative Anne Northup and others point out that the two bridges in Louisville, and a project to reconfigure Spaghetti Junction, are part of a single project already approved by the Federal Highway Administration, and believe this will put the issue to rest.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has released their recommended list of projects to be funded through the fiscal year 2010. The recommended six-year plan will be reviewed by the state General Assembly for possible amendments.

While no projects have been cut from the plan, many projects have been delayed, leaving some on the unscheduled needs list now.

This KentuckyRoads.com article links to numerous news articles about the plan.

A project to widen a portion of Bashford Manor Lane from Newburg Road to Mayo Drive, added to the state's six-year highway plan in 2002, has been pushed back because of lack of funding.

A study released by the American Highway Users Alliance says that, out of the 233 worse bottlenecks in the nation, Spaghetti Junction is ranked #163. Ranking at #119 is the I-264/I-64 interchange. (Neither the Business First article nor the report itself specify which I-264/I-64 interchange.)

Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher has announced that he will commit $118 million over the next two years to the Ohio River Bridges Project. The funding will allow the design work to be completed in the next two years, and the governor stated that he is doing this to avoid costly delays in the project.

An engineer with the Indiana Dept. of Transportation announced yesterday that the southbound entrance ramp from the Veterans Parkway to I-65 could open by mid-June 2004. The latest timetable also predicts that the Lewis & Clark Parkway exit will be finished by the end of summer, and that the Jeffersonville section of the Veterans Parkway will be completed by late fall.

A project to build Star Hill Road, a 2.4-mile connector road between the Starlight area and the town of Borden, received a federal grant from INDOT yesterday. The project, originally conceived in the 1940s by area residents, got a grant three years ago for preliminary engineering and design work. Scheduled to be completed in 2008, the road would be maintained by Clark County.

Officials from the Federal EPA, the state, and an aide to U.S. Rep. Anne Northup met today in Atlanta to discuss the future of vehicle emissions testing in Louisville.

The Louisville Metro government must submit a plan by March 1 for restoring emissions testing to a federal judge who recently ruled that the metro government violated federal law when it ended the program. Metro officials intend to submit a plan, but prefer to develop an alternative solution to curb vehicle pollution which does not require vehicle testing.

Kentucky Transportation secretary Clay Bailey has promised to continue to support the $1.9-billion Ohio River Bridges Project, but has not stated how much funding will be included for it in the Six-Year Highway Plan, scheduled to be released later this week. Some bridge supporters are concerned that not enough money would be committed to keep the project moving forward.

Senate Republicans are proposing a new subcommittee to review the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's operations, including its spending and competitive bidding process, which were recently criticized by a state-hired consultant.

A report released by a state-hired consultant says that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet could have saved over $50 million over the past two years had the state taken competitive bids on all highway projects. The consultant also reported that the state has too many projects in its six-year road plan, too many layers of management, and a selection process lacking in statewide vision. Newly appointed cabinet secretary Clay Bailey plans to incorporate many of the findings from the report into how he will run the cabinet.

Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson, in conflict with his response yesterday, has announced that the Metro Air Pollution Control District will draft a timeline to restart the VET program. The City still intends to find other pollution-cutting solutions and only use the VET plans as a last resort.

A federal judge who ruled that the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District was in violation of federal law when it stopped the VET program has ordered the agency to draw up plans to restart the program for a March 8 hearing. Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson says that while he intends to work with the EPA on alternatives, there are no plans to restart the testing program and that any ruling forcing them to do so would be appealed.

As reported in the C-J, the owner of the company that operated the city's VET program predicts that testing could not begin until late 2004.

The KYTC had planned to start right-of-way acquisition this year to widen a stretch of Greenwood Road from Dixie to Greenbelt, but a lack of money is delaying this project, and a new six-year road plan has not yet been approved.

The Indiana house voted 63-30 yesterday to override Gov. Frank O'Bannon's veto last year of legislation to end testing in Clark and Floyd counties. The Senate vote has not yet been scheduled.

The University of Louisville will conduct a study on possible solutions to the problems plaguing the section of Eastern Parkway cutting through the Belknap Campus. U of L is considering additional pedestrian overpasses, a speed-limit reduction, and modifying access from I-65. An average of 18,000 cars travel that section per day, and numerous students jaywalk between Speed School and the rest of the campus. The intersection of Third and Eastern had 56 vehicular accidents since 1995, including the occasional semi that unsuccessfully attempts to go under the 11-foot railroad viaduct.

A massive spending bill approved by the U.S. Senate yesterday will provide $36 million dollars for Louisville projects. Transportation projects in the appropriations bill include the Ohio River Bridges project, a grant for TARC to replace buses and "trolley" replicas, and smaller projects including widening Johnsontown Road, improving a Trevilian Way intersection, and replacing the Aiken Road bridge over Floyds Fork. Democrats and other advocacy groups believe that Louisville's share is disproportionately large and that it was obtained because Anne Northrup sits on the House Appropriations Committee.

A federal judge has ruled that the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District violated federal law when it ended the vehicle emissions testing program without approval from the EPA. U.S. District Chief Judge John Heyburn II did not say whether he would require VET to be restarted, but said he would likely issue an interim decision by the end of the week.

25th District Councilman Doug Hawkins is sponsoring an ordnance to establish a commission that would devise a plan to build a two-lane bridge in southwest Jefferson county over the Ohio River. The bridge would connect Highway 111 in Southern Indiana with Cane Run Road or the Greenbelt Highway.

A southwest county bridge was considered for the Bridges Project, but the environmental study concluded that it would only carry 14,000 cars per day and not alleviate much traffic congestion.

Nothing exciting. Minor time adjustments on 18, 22, 27, 29, 31, and 52; and a change in one of the morning reverse commutes on the 61.

After 38 years with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Chief District 5 Engineer Bill Monhollon has retired. Monhollon's tenure with the Cabinet included 13 years as chief engineer. He is being praised by his fellows in the Cabinet for his knowledge of the 1700 miles of state-maintained roads and highways in his territory, and for his handling of citizen complaints.

Monhollon oversaw many of the area's largest-ever highway projects, including the Gene Snyder Freeway, the rebuilding of the Watterson Expressway completed in 1992, and the widening of I-65 in Jefferson and Bullitt Counties completed in the early 1980s.

Work on the project is about to be finished, and Second Street between Broadway and Jefferson will be opened to two-way traffic at 2 p.m. Monday afternoon. The street now has three lanes in each direction between Jefferson and Muhammad Ali, and two lanes southbound and three lanes northbound from Ali to Broadway. Work started on the project in November 2002 and was supposed to be completed near the end of August, but bad weather and unforeseen utility relocation delayed the project.

(This article also mentions that as they are winding down, repairs on the nearby Clark Memorial Bridge are expected to be completed in mid-January.)

KYTC officials say that work on the long-awaited Westport Road project may begin next year (the completion date is still uncertain). The plan is to widen the road from 2 to 5 lanes from Hubbards Lane to Hurstbourne Parkway, and to add a new Watterson Expressway interchange at Westport Road.

Right-of-way acquisition is mostly complete, but over half of the parcels required to build the interchange still need to be acquired. The cabinet is also waiting for the Fletcher administration to determine the state budget. This project has been delayed for many years due to design changes, right-of-way acquisition difficulties, lack of progress from the original consulting firm, and competition from other highway projects.

When the Indiana General Assembly returns to session in January, it may decide to override Governor Frank O'Bannon's veto of legislation to end the vehicle emissions testing in Clark and Floyd counties.

Over two years after the project to repaint the Kennedy Bridge was halted amid a bribery scandal, the KYTC has announced that it plans to seek bids next month to get the job finished. The new contract could be awarded in mid-March, and work will probably start in May and be finished in mid-2005. The Cabinet also plans to hire an independent firm to inspect and monitor the painting project.

Originally, contractors were working to remove as little of the old lead paint as possible, but according to the project's administrator, technology is now available to allow them to sandblast the old paint off and collect it in netting.

Kentucky transportation officials rejected a third option for a proposed four-lane bypass around Crestwood and Pewee Valley that would connect with Old Henry Road near the interchange with the Snyder. The option was proposed by residents of the Woodmont subdivision who contended that one of the other options under consideration is too close to them, but KYTC officials say that the third option would affect a flood plan and possible wetland, and would affect other properties.

For the most part there is a consensus that something needs to be done to relieve traffic on KY 146 from the Snyder to Crestwood, and the advisory committee voted to build a new bypass over improving existing roads. Highway officials plan to hold a public hearing next year and then make their final decision on the route.

A short section of the new Adam Shepherd Parkway, a bypass connecting KY 44 just west of I-65 to KY 61, is scheduled to open this morning.

The section to be opened will extend north from KY 44 to a new Kroger store also opening today. The remainder from the Kroger to KY 61 is scheduled to be completed early next year. Construction of the Conestoga Parkway, which will branch off from the Adam Shepherd Parkway and connect with KY 61 at Gap in the Knob, is also under way.

The Clarksville Redevelopment Commission is expected to approve a financial deal tomorrow to fund the project to renovate and widen the 1.6-mile Lewis and Clark Parkway. Clark County approved a new income tax for Clarksville to help pay for this and other projects.

Current plans call for one additional lane in each direction from Eastern Blvd. to I-65, dual left-turn lanes in some locations, and lengthened left-turn lanes in others. Sidewalks will also be added to both sides of the parkway, and some beautification work will also be done. Additional money will also enable the town to work on nearby Blackiston Mill Road, Triangle Drive, and Eastern Boulevard as part of the project.

Preliminary drawings will be presented next month to town officials. After patching work is done, crews plan to start at the eastern end of the parkway, working their way westward; the project is expected to finish in 2005.

Also reported on the Evening News/Tribune site, December 10, 2003.

Construction on the interchange of Oak Street and the 9th Street extension is set to be finished tomorrow. After a scheduled 2 p.m. ribbon-cutting, the interchange is scheduled to open around 4.

The intersection of 9th & Oak was closed two years ago as workers built the extension of 9th. Work on 9th Street was completed last December, months ahead of schedule; however, poor weather and complications involving the relocation of underground pipes and cabling slowed the Oak Street portion of the project.

CSX officials wish to reconstruct the railroad tracks that run on Main Street through La Grange. Currently, cars can drive on the tracks and pedestrians are free to cross the street; the railroad wants a new design that separates the rails from the roadway. Store owners are concerned about the loss of storefront parking spaces, and some residents are concerns about increased speeds on the new tracks.

Also reported in the Courier-Journal on November 27.

Work on the Clark Memorial Bridge project is scheduled to be completed around December 6. Some touch-up work is still to be done, but it's gotten to the point where all lanes of the bridge are open durning rush hour now. Plans call for the bridge to be fully closed during an eight-hour period sometime in early December so the work can be completed.

A two-lane bridge over Mill Creek in Clarksville is expected to be completed next month. The bridge is part of the Ohio River Greenway, a project to build a seven-mile road and recreational path along the Ohio River from Jeffersonville to New Albany.

The project was conceived in the mid-1980s but hasn't really made progress until the Army Corps of Engineers took over construction and provided matching federal dollars. The project is expected to be completed between 2009 and 2012, and the timeline is still in flux.

A federal report released yesterday says that the Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Developent Agency must change some of its transportation-planning policies.

The required changes will force KIPDA to study how future transportation projects would affect logistics and freight companies, and land use and development. KIPDA will also have to coordinate with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to prioritize projects and determine how they get funded. Finally, KIPDA will have to write summaries of public comments.

KIPDA's planning director says that all these areas will be corrected soon.

The intersection of US 31 and the Charlestown-New Albany Pike is scheduled to reopen tomorrow. It was closed last month for improvements, and was originally scheduled to open earlier this month. Rainy weather and procrastination on the part of the Louisville & Indiana Railroad delayed the project.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet published a page of photos taken on the Shawnee Expressway project in November 2003. Most of the westbound lanes have been completed and are now open to westbound motorists. The entire westbound section is expected to be finished and open to both directions by the first of next year, and construction will begin on the eastbound portion.

TARC has decided not to discontinue Routes 46, 59, 68, and 73 for now, but plans to review those routes within the next few months.

For Routes 18, and 62 in Jefferson Mall, buses are now only making one stop within the mall's parking lot. New stops were added along Jefferson Boulevard, among them one at the new Target store.

A minor route change on Route 80 reverses the direction of buses on the Hurstbourne/Canonero/Del Maria loop.

An Indiana appropriations committee has awarded $3.25 million for the state to fund design work on the Ohio River Bridges Project. INDOT has stated that it will select which companies it will hire to do design work on the approproaches to the downtown and east-end bridges by late 2004.

A newly-formed consortium of 25 engineering and construction companies has been selected to design the rebuilding of Spaghetti Junction. Kentucky Transportation Associates, the newly-formed corporation in charge of the $786 million project, plans to rebuild the junction in parts instead of as a whole. KYTC and INDOT plan to hire other companies to do design and engineering work on the other parts of the project, likely late this year and next year.

A federal judge is expected to schedule a hearing this week on whether an injunction requesting Jefferson County's VET testing program to be reinstated would be granted. The Kentucky Resources Council, an environmental group, filed a suit yesterday, claiming that only the federal EPA has the authority to allow the program to expire.

State and city/county officials hope that the extension of Jefferson Boulevard from McCawley Road to Poplar Level Road, which opened yesterday, will help curb traffic congestion. Funding for the project was originally secured in 1992, but construction and environmental issues plagued the project.

See the project maps page.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials have added a third option for a proposed four-lane connector between Old Henry Road and Crestwood. After the cabinet reduced the possible choices to two, residents objected because both alternatives could displace some homes.

A ceremony at 2 p.m. tomorrow will mark the opening of the Clarksville section of the new Veterans Parkway, between Giltner Lane and I-65. Both exit ramps from I-65, and the northbound entrance to I-65, will be opened to traffic. The southbound entrance is expected to be open by the end of the year. The Jeffersonville portion is not expected to open until Spring 2004 because of soil problems.

See the project maps page.

UPDATE: A 11/15/2003 Courier-Journal article, and a 11/15/2003 Jeffersonville Evening News article.

A project to widen KY 393 from I-71 to KY 22 is finally on track once again, now that some landowners have resolved right-of-way issues with the state Transportation Cabinet. The cabinet hopes to complete right-of-way acquisition by January 2004, and start construction next summer.

As Friday's scheduled shutdown of the Vehicle Emissions Testing program nears, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has formally notified Louisville Metro officials that it would move to reject the state's decision to end the testing program. The EPA's decision is not expected to become final in at least a month, and the EPA also has a year to decide whether it will cut highway funding or impose sanctions. The EPA is concerned that the city-county could be in violation of the federal Clean Air Act, though Louisville officials will propose other solutions.

The entrance ramp from Stansifer Avenue to northbound I-65 is scheduled to re-open today. The ramp was closed for two years for work on the frontage road system.

Officials from the Louisville Metro Public Works department have announced that an Aiken Road bridge over Floyds Fork will be open by January. The new bridge is replacing an old one-lane bridge that was closed after a state inspector discovered it was deteriorating.

Most of the slowdowns on the Shawnee Expressway have been due to dangerous driving and speeding instead of the project itself, according to police officers. However, highway officials say that accidents are down since 24-hour patrols began in early September: 147 accidents in August; only 44 in September.

Louisville Waterfront Development Corp. officials are once again bouncing around the idea of operating a water-taxi service along the Ohio River. A company signed a deal with the agency last year but was not able to start operations; plans are in the works with yet another company.

Waterfront Development Corp. officials are raising concerns about the Ohio River Bridges Project because the preliminary design would put about two more acres of Waterfront Park under elevated conrete. Park officials are not heavily concerned about the new bridge that will be built next to the Kennedy, however, due to its height and the fact that it was already anticipated.

City and state officials are preparing for the October 31 ending date of Jefferson County's Vehicle Emissions Testing program. People who received a notice in the mail to get their cars tested before October 31 still must get their cars tested, and will not receive a grace period. A spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Agency has said the agency is still determining whether it should approve the plan, and has not commented on whether it would consider a last-minute reversal of the state's decision to end emissions testing.

The section of Stonestreet Road between Third Street Road and the Gene Snyder Freeway will be re-opened over the weekend. Construction workers widened and improved the two-lane section, replaced a substandard bridge, and re-aligned some curves; the duration of the project angered some area residents and business owners.

Workers in the city of Jeffersonville are also closing a small portion of Spring Street for the next two weeks for sewer and drainage work.

The City of Jeffersonville will close a section of Hamburg Pike north of Eastern Boulevard (from Fairview Drive to Willinger Lane) for one or two weeks in order to install new drainage across the roadway.

Indiana's Revive 65 project is a testbed for some experimental instrumentation that will help engineers understand how environmental conditions affect highways, and which may ultimately help highway projects last many more years. The equipment will measure slight warping changes in the concrete due to temperature changes and stress from traffic, along with environmental conditions.

Architectural students from the University of Kentucky, Ball State University, and Notre Dame participated in a 48-hour session to flesh out design ideas for the bridges to be built for the Ohio River Bridges Project. The event was part of an annual meeting of the Kentucky and Indiana chapters of the American Institue of Architects.

State highway officials are saying that rainy weather and problems with sewer work are delaying the completion of the 9th and Oak interchange and the reopening of Oak Street. The project was originally scheduled to be completed this spring, but officials have pushed the date back many times and are currently expecting the project to be finished mid-November.

Jeffersonville city officials say the north-side lanes of the first phase of the project to add a center lane to 10th Street between Spring and Pratt Streets is likely to finish by the end of October; work will then focus on the south-side lanes, and that work is expected to be finished by the end of November, or sometime in December depending on rainy weather. The second phase of the project, from Pratt Street to Reeds Lane, may be put off until next year.

The intersection of Charlestown/New Albany Pike and US 31 (near the I-65 interchange with the Lewis and Clark Parkway) will be closed for 28 days starting October 13 in order for improvements to be made to the intersection as part of the Revive 65 project.

New street signs went up yesterday for the official name change of former state Highway 131 to the Lewis and Clark Parkway. Improvements planned for the busy commercial highway include synchronizing traffic lights, new medians, sidewalks, and one more traffic lane on each side, and are expected to be completed October 2004.

The Transit Authority of River City may decide to discontinue some routes due to low ridership and would assist riders in establishing a vanpool. Please visit the link for more information. This affects #59 River Road and the #46 G.E., #54 Manslick, #68 Prospect, and #73 Charlestown Road express routes.

Routes #35 and #58 no longer pull into Bashford Manor Mall, which has one store left.

Buses on #29 going to Cane Run/Rockford now simply use Dixie and Rockford instead of side streets.

These took effect in August... Westbound #25 buses now use Oak west of First instead of St. Catherine (now that Oak west of Preston is two-way). The Hubbards/Massie branch of the #29 and the Park DuValle portion of #19, #22, and #96 have been rerouted. #55 now serves The Summit; service to Springhurst has been rerouted; and service east of Murphy Lane has been eliminated.

The project to widen four blocks of Second Street between Jefferson and Broadway is currently three months behind schedule but it is expected to be finished on December 19. Rain delays and complications during utility relocation were the main factors tying up the project.

As workers are installing new beams for the IN 60 overpass, I-65 traffic is being routed off the highway during some evening and late night hours this week and next week. Northbound and southbound traffic is being directed to use the IN 60 exit ramps, and then the access ramps to get back on the highway. You can check the live cameras near IN 60 to determine if you wish to attempt this maneuver.

I've hacked together some maps showing the locations of the new alignments from several local construction projects. You can now see the locations of the Crittenden Drive project, the Jefferson Boulevard and Hurstbourne Parkway extensions, and the new Veterans Parkway. I just thought I'd do this for fun.

Kentuckiana Aerial Photography, Inc. of Jeffersonville (812-282-8488) sells a CD-ROM containing full-color aerial photos of the Louisville area to the public. The photos are more up-to-date than the ones you can find on sites such as ACME Mapper or TerraServer USA.

I purchased a copy of this last week for $19.95 at LaBelle Gallery and Map Center (741 E Chestnut St, Louisville, 502-589-0621). The files on this CD are simply Acrobat (.pdf) files which are flagged so that you cannot print from them using Acrobat Reader. I would say the resolution is about 2 meters per pixel.

The photos were taken in April 2003. Construction on the Crittenden Drive, Jefferson Boulevard, Hurstbourne Parkway, and Veterans Parkway projects was well under way at the time, so the new road alignments are clearly visible. I will post maps of the projects on this site in the next few days.

An environmentalist group has filed a 60-day notice with the state and federal governments that it will sue to prevent Jefferson County's vehicle emissions testing program from ending October 31. The 60-day notice means that the Kentucky Resource Council can file the suit on or after November 12. Local officia