I-69 Ohio River Bridge

[jnewkirk77]

The Breezewood option preserves the business district of Henderson KY and should be something that the chamber should be supporting.

The good folks at the Chamber know it's a fool's errand to put an interstate through that clustered mess.

[Life in Paradise]

They are billing the Central Option as the cheapest, being 50 million dollars less than the other two options that involve the current Henderson strip, but I wonder if that is accurate.  I would think, even though there is more new routing on the Central Option, that it might be 100 or 200 million less due to the fact that they are only making a 4 lane bridge on the Central (which I think is a mistake) and they won't have to buy commercial property and elevate areas along the strip with that alternative.  Even with the interstate being moved, that strip won't lose that much business, since I believe the majority of the patrons are local Evansville/Henderson residents.  Anyway, they probably have close to 10 years to make the transition with the advanced timetable.

[Avalanchez71]

Evansville and points North have always been my destination.  Henderson was never my destination.  I have shopped, put fuel in the vehicle and dined there.  I likely won't any longer if I-69 is run through.

[hbelkins]

Evansville and points North have always been my destination.  Henderson was never my destination.  I have shopped, put fuel in the vehicle and dined there.  I likely won't any longer if I-69 is run through.

Where will you do that, then? There's a whole lotta nothing between Madisonville and Bloomington, Henderson/Evansville being the glaring exception.

[Aaron Camp]

I'm a strong proponent of the Central Option that involves a new I-69 bridge over the Ohio River a few miles east/upstream of the current US-41 bridges and a true Henderson bypass...Henderson is not Louisville or Indianapolis, where routing a freeway right through built-up neighborhoods can be justified, and either of the two western options would just lead to more traffic congestion in Henderson, and probably Evansville to a lesser extent. Also, since I-69 is going to be a true Evansville bypass once the Ohio River bridge is built, then why not bypass Henderson as well?

[Captain Jack]

Evansville and points North have always been my destination.  Henderson was never my destination.  I have shopped, put fuel in the vehicle and dined there.  I likely won't any longer if I-69 is run through.

So the daily commuters and through traffic should endure the stoplight infested mess of the Henderson strip because you like to purchase gas along there every so often?

It's not like they are going to close US 41. When the interstate is done, you can still take your little self right down US 41, and lovingly glare at McDonalds, Wendy's, Subway and the other generic fast food joints that clog the road.

[silverback1065]

they should do central, and rebuild both us 41 bridges.  is the 69 bridge going to be a toll bridge?

[jnewkirk77]

they should do central, and rebuild both us 41 bridges.  is the 69 bridge going to be a toll bridge?

That'd be nice, but I understand it's not an option they'd consider.  Maybe they could replace the SB bridge with a wider, possibly undivided 4-lane built in the way that the Milton-Madison bridge was.  It's a thought.

Yes, the 69 bridge will be tolled.  I'd be shocked if they didn't extend the Louisville River Link system to it.  Makes sense to me.

[sparker]

they should do central, and rebuild both us 41 bridges.  is the 69 bridge going to be a toll bridge?

That'd be nice, but I understand it's not an option they'd consider.  Maybe they could replace the SB bridge with a wider, possibly undivided 4-lane built in the way that the Milton-Madison bridge was.  It's a thought.

Yes, the 69 bridge will be tolled.  I'd be shocked if they didn't extend the Louisville River Link system to it.  Makes sense to me.

With the delays and funding issues endemic to the I-69 bridge project, it would be unlikely that an on-site replacement for the US 41 bridge pair would even be on the radar for quite some time after I-69 is completed here.  Obviously, the economics of maintenance figure into the (potential) choice to eliminate the older of the two US 41 spans; that in itself is an indication that if the eastern I-69 option is indeed the final selection, the whole regional river crossing concept will be undertaken with an unwavering eye on the bottom line -- let tolls make the new crossing feasible, and let reduced maintenance make retaining at least one US 41 crossing also doable!

[mvak36]

They have posted videos of the West and Central alternatives.

https://i69ohiorivercrossing.com/videos/

[Revive 755]

I'm not a fan of the tie-in's for the Central Alternative.  For the US 41 connector the trumpet interchange should be closer to where I-69 branches off from the existing roadway.  For the north end there is too much out of direction travel for EB Veterans Parkway to NB I-69 - a more direct connection ought to be used rather than the extremely large loop ramp.

[silverback1065]

there is no way they pick any of the west routes, those are both insane, they'd totally fuck up henderson with those routes

[Brooks]

You're right. The central option isn't perfect but it's the best of the available options by a long shot.

[Roadsguy]

That is a big loop ramp in the Central alternative...

[Captain Jack]

I'm not a fan of the tie-in's for the Central Alternative.  For the US 41 connector the trumpet interchange should be closer to where I-69 branches off from the existing roadway.  For the north end there is too much out of direction travel for EB Veterans Parkway to NB I-69 - a more direct connection ought to be used rather than the extremely large loop ramp.

Completely agree. That seems like a lot of extra pavement, and out of direction travel for both. Veterans Parkway carries a lot of commuter traffic from downtown Evansville to the far east side and Newburgh.  My guess is during rush hour, there will be more traffic feeding the interchange from Veterans than coming off I-69 from the south.

[tdindy88]

That loop ramp almost certainly is going to have to be changed. Since we haven't even picked a preferred choice yet there should still be time for people to demand something a little more practical then that. Otherwise the central alternative still looks good.

[rte66man]

At the south end of the Central alternative, why is the US41 junction so far east?  It seems as if they could build it closer to the point 69 diverges from the existing roadway.

[Grzrd]

This article provldes an update on the Ohio River Crossing project::

Here are the updates:

West Alternative 1 and West Alternative 2
The connection between US 41 and US 60 has been modified to reduce impacts to residences and businesses.
A retaining wall has been added to avoid impacts to a small cemetery within the Merrill Place development.

West Alternative 2
The intersection of Elm Street and Watson Lane has been modified to improve safety and access in the interchange area.

Central Alternative 1
The connection between I-69 and US 41 has been modified to improve access to US 60 and the commercial strip.

"One key change is for Central Alternative 1,"  said Marshall Carrier, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet project manager. "We distributed surveys to more than 900 businesses near the project area and followed up by visiting nearly 100 businesses along the US 41 strip in Henderson. Several business owners were concerned about the connection between I-69 and US 41. More design work was done, changes were made and the result is a more direct connection." ....

Relocations

West Alternative 1 — Residential: 242 — Business: 27
West Alternative 2 — Residential: 96 — Business: 64
Central Alternative 1 — Residential: 4 — Business: 0

Feedback

The Project Team held two open houses in early February to discuss preliminary alternatives.

Since the open houses, surveys have been received from the public and businesses.

According to the team, most residents support tolling the new I-69 crossing if there is a toll-free crossing also available.

In the survey, another concern raised for West Alternative 1 and 2 were the impact they would have on homes and businesses.

One concern with Central Alternative 1 would be the negative affect for businesses by allowing drivers to bypass US 41.

Here is a snip of the cost estimates:

[Henry]

If it were up to me, I'd definitely want to route I-69 across the Central Alternative, because that would be the least expensive, and cause very little impact on Henderson proper.

[WKDAVE]

There are really only 2 options...West 2 which is a 6-lane tolled I-69/US41 bridge getting rid of twin bridges and Central which is 4-lane tolled I-69 bridge and 2-lane tolled US 41 bridge. I know they haven't said that both bridges will be tolled but they have to in order to pay for the I-69 bridge. There are around 40,000 vehicles a day on twin bridges. If you keep the one bridge free, it will have at least 15,000-20,000 crossings a day, leaving the tolled I-69 bridge just 20,000-25,000 per day. No way you fund $1 billion bridge on 25,000 crossings. Louisville has 100,000 crossings to fund there $2.3 billion bridges.

[sparker]

There are really only 2 options...West 2 which is a 6-lane tolled I-69/US41 bridge getting rid of twin bridges and Central which is 4-lane tolled I-69 bridge and 2-lane tolled US 41 bridge. I know they haven't said that both bridges will be tolled but they have to in order to pay for the I-69 bridge. There are around 40,000 vehicles a day on twin bridges. If you keep the one bridge free, it will have at least 15,000-20,000 crossings a day, leaving the tolled I-69 bridge just 20,000-25,000 per day. No way you fund $1 billion bridge on 25,000 crossings. Louisville has 100,000 crossings to fund there $2.3 billion bridges.

The only problem with attempting to toll both crossings is the inter-state politics involved; there are quite a few commuters living in Henderson and nearby KY towns that commute to Evansville; they probably constitute a large percentage of the overall volume.  They would require some accommodation if a toll were in their pathway (passes, "freebie" transponders, etc.) that would effectively be non-revenue in nature (or, when administrative costs are figured in, possibly a money loser).  Thus it's more than likely -- and almost definitely if the central option is selected -- that the original US 41 bridge will remain free -- but it's also as likely that only one 2-lane span will remain -- so that any long-distance "shunpiking" will likely encounter congestion -- and be a one-time venture (particularly with commercial transport).  Those two lanes will be adequate for commutes, but not terribly efficient for much of anything else.  But if a single-crossing west alignment is selected (and tolled), then the commute compensation will likely have been absorbed into the long-term fiscal picture. 

[hbelkins]

I have not heard of any plans to toll the US 41 bridge(s) if a new-location alignment is built.

[tdindy88]

I'm guessing everyone's okay then with that giant loop from eastbound Veterans Parkway onto northbound I-69 in the Central alternative? It just seems a little obnoxious for those who I presume use that highway from Downtown Evansville to the eastern suburbs as an alternative to the Lloyd Expressway.

[jnewkirk77]

I'm guessing everyone's okay then with that giant loop from eastbound Veterans Parkway onto northbound I-69 in the Central alternative? It just seems a little obnoxious for those who I presume use that highway from Downtown Evansville to the eastern suburbs as an alternative to the Lloyd Expressway.

It looks like they designed it that way to have NB-to-WB and EB-to-NB ramps share a bridge.  It's not the most elegant solution, but it does show they're serious about making it more economical to build. Keep in mind they're going to have to elevate that stretch because it's in the flood plain -- that gets into big $$$.

[Henry]

I'm guessing everyone's okay then with that giant loop from eastbound Veterans Parkway onto northbound I-69 in the Central alternative? It just seems a little obnoxious for those who I presume use that highway from Downtown Evansville to the eastern suburbs as an alternative to the Lloyd Expressway.

It looks like they designed it that way to have NB-to-WB and EB-to-NB ramps share a bridge.  It's not the most elegant solution, but it does show they're serious about making it more economical to build. Keep in mind they're going to have to elevate that stretch because it's in the flood plain -- that gets into big $$$.

I'm fine with that.