Currently, I-69 begins and ends at the US 41 interchange south of Evansville, Indiana and at the KY 425 interchange southeast of Henderson, Kentucky. The two bridges on US 41 provide the only river crossing between Evansville and Henderson. US 41 does not meet interstate design standards, and traffic congestion during peak hours and after traffic incidents is a problem for traffic traveling across the river. In addition, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) have identified several high-crash locations in the I-69/US 41 corridor. Finally, the existing US 41 bridges are costly to maintain and repair.
Given the above, INDOT and KYTC are developing a project to connect I-69 between Indiana and Kentucky in a way that provides long-term cross-river access, reduces traffic congestion and delay, and improves safety for the traveling public.
INDOT and KYTC studied a range of possible solutions that has been narrowed down to three alternatives, which are described below and are shown in the following figure.
• West Alternative 1: four lanes on the new I-69 bridge, keep one existing US 41 bridge for two-way local traffic, and take the other US 41 bridge out of service.
• West Alternative 2: six lanes on the new I-69 bridge and take both existing US 41 bridges out of service.
• Central Alternative 1: four lanes on the new I-69 bridge, keep one existing US 41 bridge for two-way local traffic, and take the other US 41 bridge out of service.
Tolling I-69 will be a key part of the financing for this project. In addition, tolling any remaining US 41 bridges will be evaluated. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is being developed to evaluate the benefits and impacts of each alternative, including tolling. For more information, go to https://i69ohiorivercrossing.com/.