Gov. Beshear Announces $50 Million Interstate 71 Widening and Improvement Project in Louisville

Project will ease traffic congestion, increase safety and reduce commute times

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 12, 2025) - Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced a $50 million investment to upgrade Interstate 71 - one of Louisville's most critical travel corridors. The two-year project will increase capacity for the corridor from four lanes to six lanes, easing traffic congestion, increasing safety, and improving efficiency to ensure Kentuckians and visitors alike can get to where they need to go quicker.

"Our administration continues to make historic investments to improve safety and reliability on our interstates and to reduce commute times," said Gov. Beshear. "This project along I-71 will make travel safer and more efficient for Kentucky families, visitors and businesses, while also supporting future growth in one of Louisville's busiest corridors."

The work zone will extend along a 2-mile section of I-71. While construction teams work to improve the roads, traffic along the current two lanes in each direction will remain open during peak travel times as crews widen the interstate and make pavement improvements from the Interstate 65/I-71 interchange near Frankfort Avenue to the I-71/Zorn Avenue interchange. Motorists should be prepared for changing traffic patterns, lane shifts and intermittent overnight lane closures.

The project includes additional enhancements, including a multiuse path on Zorn Avenue between the I-71/Zorn Avenue interchange and Mellwood Avenue, as well as the installation of a median treatment at the intersection of Zorn and Mellwood avenues to improve safety and define traffic movements.

It also includes demolition and reconstruction of the I-71 bridge over Beargrass Creek, and a latex overlay will be applied to the I-71 bridge over I-64 at mile point 0.3 to extend its service life.

"While our first priority is ensuring safe and efficient roads and bridges now and for the future, we also don't take construction impacts lightly," said KYTC District 5 Chief Engineer Matt Bullock. "This project will have minimal traffic interruptions as existing lanes will primarily stay open during construction as crews add a lane in each direction. We also continue to coordinate and evaluate construction activities on other projects throughout the entire Louisville area to deliver quality improvements while reducing traffic impacts."

Work is scheduled to begin on Monday, Nov. 17. To prepare to shift traffic to the outside shoulders to maintain two travel lanes throughout construction, overnight lane closures may take place nightly from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. beginning Nov. 17. During the overnight lane closures, contract crews will remove and pave over the existing rumble strips along the outside shoulders to shift traffic to the outside shoulders. Drivers should heed signage, use caution, and plan ahead for travel delays.

The interstate project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2027. The work is being carried out by Haydon Bridge Co. Inc. of Springfield, Kentucky. More details, including project timelines and traffic impacts, will be shared online as work progresses. Motorists are encouraged to sign up for email alerts regarding traffic impacts pertaining to the project.

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