LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - The countdown continues as the excitement builds for the Sherman Minton Bridge to finally open to traffic. The goal is March 1, but talk is building that the construction crew will finish early.
But as WAVE 3 uncovered, it won't be all roses when the Sherman Minton opens. That's because for the first time in about a decade, the Kennedy will undergo a massive renovation project, and the bridge will be open throughout the project.
A drive across the Kennedy Bridge as it is now isn't winning any hearts. "Tragic! It's horrible," one driver exclaimed!
"It's not a very good experience," another driver said.
When asked if she ever noticed the pot holes, one driver said, "that's why I don't go across it!"
Even the state admits it's a fright.
"It is a very rough ride. The deck is riddled with pot holes and that's what we're wanting to fix," said Andrea Clifford with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
But that may cause even more headaches than we're dealing with now. The summer heat may not be the only thing getting hot once the Kennedy goes under the knife.
"We're going to have periods of time when southbound is going to be reduced to one lane. Motorists will see 30 consecutive days of lane closures on the Kennedy bridge and this will be 24 hours a day, 7 days a week," Clifford said.
It all gets underway after Memorial Day, with the massive project itself stretching through the middle of August.
The bridge will be open during all of it. Lanes will be re-paved, and these expansion joints, which may look like metal teeth, will be repaired. Other structural improvements will be done, making for a smoother ride and adding more years to the life of the bridge.
"It needs to be done," a driver said.
But it comes amid a summer of growing pains.
"Unfortunately we all have to get through it," one driver exclaimed.
For the second time, bids are being accepted from construction companies until the end of the month. The state of Kentucky, which is responsible for the Kennedy and Clark Memorial Bridges, won't say how much money it's willing to spend on the project, saying that could skew bids.
Officials would say that the first time bids were accepted, the lowest bid came in 25% higher than the state wanted to spend.
The bridge opened in 1963 and sees about 200,000 vehicles a day.
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