Indiana, Kentucky apply for federal grant to support bridge project
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Indiana and Kentucky are organizing funds to complete a major bridge project over the Ohio River.
The states are applying for a $632.3 million federal grant to fund the Interstate 69 Ohio River Crossing project to connect Evansville and Henderson, Kentucky.
The project, called I-69 ORX, is estimated to cost $1.4 billion. If the federal grant is approved, the states will invest a combined $513.7 million from additional funding sources.
A total of $265 million has already been funneled toward environmental studies and Section 1 of the project, which focuses improvements on the Henderson side that are currently underway.
“Construction of this crossing will extend I-69 from border-to-border in the State of Indiana, providing another gateway to and from Kentucky and points beyond,” Gov. Eric Holcomb said in a news release. “This project will have regional, national and international impacts related to connectivity, safety, and economic opportunity on the corridor.”
The grant applied for is part of the Multimodal Discretionary Grant Program, a product of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“Completing the crossing is critical for connectivity, safety and the competitiveness of our economies. But its importance extends far beyond this region, and that makes it worthy of significant federal funding,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. “It’s important nationally because the crossing will close a major gap in the I-69 corridor. It’s important internationally because I-69 is a major freight corridor stretching from Canada to Mexico.”
The I-69 ORX project consists of three sections. Section 3, slated to begin next year will have similar infrastructure improvements on the Indiana side that Section 1 is doing in Henderson.
Section 2 will be a new, four-lane bridge over the Ohio River built to sustain interstate-level traffic. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and be complete by 2031.
The new bridge will replace the current U.S. 41 bridges that were not designed for interstate travel. It will be built to modern interstate standards and have equipped to improve safety with features such as efficient LED lighting and new signage.
You can learn more about the I-69 ORX project here.