Ohio River Bridges Project Update:

The Downtown Bridge

The Ohio River Bridges Project designers released their choices for specific details of a planned downtown bridge between Louisville, KY and Jeffersonville, IN on April 24 in Louisville.

The downtown bridge design process started after the bridge types were selected in December 2006 and design details were unveiled during the open house. Community members and preservation groups participated in the design advisory team that helped determine the design recommendations. The final recommendation, along with a similar design for the bridge between eastern Jefferson County and Utica, IN

The recommended lighting emphasizes the total bridge form with accent on the towers and piers, the deck level and the top cable. The view above is from the Indiana shoreline.

was presented before a consultation team representing Kentucky and Indiana on May 13.

Federal and state officials haven't fully identified funding for the bridge, on which preliminary construction could begin this year. The project is scheduled to be finished in 2024.

The Ohio River Bridges Project requires an element of DBE participation as called for in the project's Memorandum of Agreement (Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 26). It is important to understand that firms must earn both certification, by showing that they are owned and operated by a person who meets the criteria of a disadvantaged business owner (a socio-economic measure), and the Certificate of Eligibility, or prequalification, that certifies the DBE firm can do the work for which it is seeking.

Opportunities available to contractors include demolition, earth moving, hauling, concrete barriers, and much more. Any construction and road maintenance firms interested in bidding on the project are required to become prequalified by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC).

For more information regarding KYTC prequalification, contact Steve Waddle, KYTC Division of Construction Procurement at steve.waddle@ky.gov.