Interstate 69 Ohio River Bridge
| Interstate 69 Ohio River Crossing (I-69 ORX) | |
|---|---|
| Carries |
 I‑69
|
| Crosses | Ohio River |
| Locale | Between Evansville, Indiana and Henderson, Kentucky |
| Owner | Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) |
| Website | https://i69ohoirivercrossing.com |
| History | |
| Construction cost | ~$800 million |
The Interstate 69 Ohio River Crossing (I-69 ORX) is proposed bridge to carry the planned Interstate 69 (I-69) extension over the Ohio River between Evansville, Indiana and Henderson, Kentucky. The bridge and its approach roadways make up a portion of Segment of Independent utility (SIU) 4 of the I-69 corridor from Michigan to Texas. It will be built approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) upstream of the existing U.S. Route 41 (US 41) bridges.
The design of the I-69 Ohio River Crossing has not yet been defined. A $17 million contract to be awarded by the Indiana Department of Transportation in late 2016 will employ a consulting firm to complete required environmental studies and preliminary design of the bridge. Completion of that work is scheduled for the end of 2020.
The I-69 ORX will be constructed about 3 miles east (upstream) of the existing US-41 bridges linking Evansville, Indiana with Henderson, Kentucky. The northern approach to the bridge will tie into the existing I-69 (formerly I-164) freeway between Green River Road and Weinbach Avenue east of Evansville. On the Kentucky side, the southern approach is planned to tie into the Pennyrile Parkway near the interchange with the Audubon Parkway. No interchanges are planned on the Indiana approach, while an interchange with US-60 is planned on the Kentucky approach.
Environmental studies were initiated in 2001, and a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was issued in March 2004. Environmental studies were suspended when no funding source was identified to build the bridge, which is estimated to cost $1.4 billion. Kentucky is responsible for financing two-thirds of the construction cost, and Indiana will finance the remaining third. Indiana has funding available for its portion of the project through the state's Major Moves program, but Kentucky lacks such a program and has yet to identify a funding source for its portion of the construction costs.
The I-69 bridge had been competing for funding against other Ohio River bridge projects that Kentucky is attempting to complete, most notably the recently completed Ohio River Bridges Project between Louisville and southern Indiana, and the proposed Brent Spence Bridge replacement project between Covington and Cincinnati, Ohio.
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