Interstate 69 Ohio River Bridge
| Interstate 69 Ohio River Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Carries | Interstate 69 |
| Crosses | Ohio River |
| Locale | Evansville, Indiana |
| History | |
| Construction cost | $1.4 billion |
The Interstate 69 Ohio River Bridge is proposed bridge to carry the planned Interstate 69 extension over the Ohio River between Evansville, Indiana and Henderson, Kentucky. The bridge and its approach roadways make up Segment of Independent utility (SIU) 4 of the I-69 corridor from Michigan to Texas. It will be built approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) upstream of the existing US-41 bridges.
Status
Environmental studies were initiated in 2001, and a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was issued in March 2004. Environmental studies were suspended when no funding source was identified to build the bridge, which is estimated to cost $1.4 billion.[1][2] Kentucky is responsible for financing two-thirds of the construction cost, and Indiana will finance the remaining third. Indiana has funding available for its portion of the project through the state's Major Moves program, but Kentucky lacks such a program and has yet to identify a funding source for its portion of the construction costs.
The I-69 bridge is competing for funding against other Ohio River bridge projects that Kentucky is attempting to complete, most notably the Ohio River Bridges Project between Louisville and southern Indiana, and the Brent Spence Bridge replacement project between Covington and Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Kentucky Legislature passed House Bill 3 in 2008 that authorizes the state to establish joint bridge authorities with Indiana to finance and build crossings of the Ohio River, specifically with these three megaprojects in mind. While a joint authority has been established to advance work on the Louisville bridges, Kentucky officials have opted to wait on establishing a similar authority for the I-69 bridge until construction on the Louisville bridges is underway.[3]