Interstate 64 to be widened between Louisville, Lexington by 2027. Here's what we know
A stretch of Interstate 64 between Louisville and Lexington is a expected to get a major facelift over the next two years, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Wednesday.
The $118 million project in Shelby County extends 11 miles and calls for widening and repaving lanes, reconstructing the Kentucky Route 53 interchange, rebuilding three overpass bridges and widening four existing I-64 bridges, according to a news release from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
The roadwork is meant to ensure "a more efficient and reliable transportation network for motorists," and is expected to be completed by Fall 2027.
Periodic lane and bridge closures, as well as changing traffic patterns, are expected over the next two years, according to KYTC.
In the release, Beshear stated the project aligns with the state's New Kentucky Home initiative, which seeks to support job growth and quality-of-life improvements statewide. Shelby County is set to add a $712 million battery manufacturing plant with around 1,600 new permanent jobs.
'Transportation investments like this continue to make our New Kentucky Home a better, safer and more connected state that will support families, businesses and communities for generations to come,' Beshear said.
Starting this summer, crews will put down new pavement from the Buck Creek Road interchange to Kentucky Route 55 in Shelbyville, KYTC stated in the release. Two lanes are expected to remain open in each direction during the repaving, but drivers "should anticipate changing traffic patterns, lane shifts and periodic lane closures as work progresses."
From Route 55 to the Shelbyville weigh station, I-64 will be expanded from two lanes to three in both directions, according to the transportation cabinet. The corridor will have six total lanes from Clark Station Road in Fisherville to Waddy Road in eastern Shelby County.
Also included in the project is the replacement of bridges over I-64, at Zaring Mill, Mount Eden and Hooper Station roads. Sometime this year or in 2026, the Hooper Station Road bridge will close for 120 days and the bridge at Zaring Mill Road will close for 90 days, according to KYTC. Traffic will remain open at the Mount Eden Road bridge.
Crews also plan to remake the I-64 interchange at Kentucky Route 53 in Shelbyville by replacing the existing loop ramp with a diamond interchange, The design should "enhance safety and improve traffic flow," KYTC stated in the news release. Route 53 will also be widened from St. Regis Road to Hooper Station Road.
More information on the project's timeline will be released online as work progresses, KYTC stated.
More: Kentucky lawmakers want a 'Make America Healthy Again' task force. Here's what it would do
Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@gannett.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Interstate 64 project: Road to be widened in Shelby County
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