LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Drivers hoping to catch a break from this summer’s road construction have another major project to be wary of.

Next weekend, the state will shut down I-65 southbound just across the Ohio River bridge so it can fix Hospital Curve.

Along Hospital Curve, you can hear every axle pounding as heavy trucks and cars cross expansion joints that need a major fix. The bridge, built in 1980 and repaved in 2017, has seen plenty of problems lately.

A pothole broke all the way through, causing a traffic headache. There were more headaches as work crews fixed the expansion joint after snow, inspections, and other patching jobs brought traffic to a crawl.

Now the state hopes this full closure beginning July 18 at 8 p.m. will allow crews to replace the southbound side expansion joints, with the northbound side fixed soon after that.

Traffic will be detoured to I-64 and I-71 once drivers cross the bridge. That’ll also allow the contractor to put a new high-friction coating on the road from the Kennedy interchange to Witherspoon Street to try and stop trucks from flying over the sides of the elevated interchange.

Commuters won’t get much of a break on Monday, July 21. I-65 south will be down to one lane through Wednesday morning.

The contractor will then work on the northbound side at a later date. The road won’t be fully closed then, but will be down to one or two lanes.

The state has given the contractor working on the project a hard deadline. On Monday the 21st, the road has to be open. Every hour of delay will cost $5,000 right out of the contractor’s pocket.

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