LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Leaders of Louisville's downtown hospitals said they've spent months coordinating with state transportation officials as the two-month shutdown of Interstate 65 approaches.

LouMed, the district comprised of facilities for Norton Healthcare, UofL Health, the University of Louisville and Jefferson Community and Technical College, brings nearly 30,000 workers, students and patients downtown every day. Those people will all have to drastically change their route when the interstate closes June 1 between Jefferson Street and Interstate 264. 

"Our priority is ensuring that the thousands of people who rely on this district every day can navigate the area with confidence," Nadareca Thibeaux, president and CEO of LOUMED, said in a news release Thursday. "While this is a state-led infrastructure project, our institutions are working as a unified front to provide clear, consistent instructions for anyone traveling to our campuses."

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The stretch of I-65 is three lanes in each direction, carrying about 125,000 cars each day.

"We have been working closely with EMS agencies and our regional partners to utilize best practices from across the country," Kelly Jones, deputy director of Louisville Metro Emergency Services, said in a news release. "We will have observation methods in place and will make adjustments daily where possible. In addition to our preparations, we are asking the public to partner with us by planning their routes in advance and utilizing all means of technology available to them to keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible around emergency entrances and medical facilities."

Local drivers will likely use city roads to avoid the closure, but the 16-mile advised detour is largely meant for regional traffic coming through Louisville. Here's what KYTC encourages those drivers to do:

  • Take southbound drivers crossing the Ohio River onto Interstate 64 West then I-264 East, where they'll eventually rejoin I-65 headed toward Bullitt County
  • Take northbound drivers west on I-264 then I-64 East and rejoin I-65 headed across the Ohio River into southern Indiana

"The Jefferson Street exit stays open, so the people coming in from the north pretty much follow the same path," Mindy Peterson, a spokesperson for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, said Thursday. "So if you're headed in on northbound I-65, that detour will take people to westbound I-264 to eastbound I-64 and then the Jefferson Street exit."

For more information on the project, click here.

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