Record of Decision received from the Federal Highway Administration
Henderson, Ky. (September 22, 2021) – The environmental study for the I-69 Ohio River Crossing (I-69 ORX) is now complete, which will allow Section 1 construction to begin.
I-69 ORX is divided into two sections for construction. I-69 ORX Section 1 focuses on improvements in Henderson and extends from KY 425 to US 60. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is overseeing the Section 1 project with construction expected to begin in early 2022 and continue through 2025.
I-69 ORX Section 2 is a bistate project between Indiana and Kentucky that will complete the I-69 connection from US 60 in Henderson to I-69 in Evansville. It includes the new river crossing. Design is expected to begin in 2025 with construction anticipated to begin in 2027 and continue through 2031. Both states continue to look for opportunities to accelerate that timeline.
The last steps of the environmental study were the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD), required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for large, federally-funded projects.
The FEIS identifies Central Alternative 1B Modified as the Selected Alternative. It includes a four-lane I-69 bridge and retains one US 41 bridge for local traffic. It includes 11.2 miles of new interstate, including 8.4 miles on new terrain and 2.8 miles of upgrades to US 41. Only the I-69 bridge will be tolled. The ROD is issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and signifies final approval of the Selected Alternative.
The FEIS is posted on the project website (I69ohiorivercrossing.com/feis-rod) and a printed copy will be available for review at several locations:
- I-69 ORX Project Office: 1970 Barrett Ct., Suite 100, Henderson, KY
- Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library (EVPL) – Central Library: 200 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Evansville, IN
- EVPL – East Branch: 840 E. Chandler Ave., Evansville, IN
- EVPL – McCollough Branch: 5115 Washington Ave., Evansville, IN
- Henderson Public Library: 101 S. Main St., Henderson, KY
- Henderson County Judge/Executive: 20 N. Main St., Suite 300, Henderson, KY
- Housing Authority of Henderson: 111 S. Adams St., Henderson, KY
- KYTC Central Office: 200 Mero St., Division of Environmental Analysis, Frankfort, KY
- KYTC District 2 Office: 1840 N. Main St., Madisonville, KY
- INDOT Central Office: 100 N. Senate Ave., Room N758-ES, Indianapolis, IN
- INDOT Vincennes District Office: 3650 S. US 41, Vincennes, IN
The alignment is unchanged from the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) published in December 2018. The Selected Alternative is “modified” because additional design work has resulted in modifications to each of the interchanges to improve operations and reduce project costs.
