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As of 2014, there were plans to rebuild the Brownsboro Road intersection into a SPUI.<ref>{{Cite web |title=I-264/US 42 Interchange Scoping Study Item No. 5-390.00 Jefferson County, Kentucky |url=https://transportation.ky.gov/Planning/Planning%20Studies%20and%20Reports/Scoping%20Study%20%205-390.00%20-%20Report.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517091614/https://transportation.ky.gov/Planning/Planning%20Studies%20and%20Reports/Scoping%20Study%20%205-390.00%20-%20Report.pdf |archive-date=May 17, 2024 |access-date=May 16, 2024}}</ref> The segment of I-264 underneath it also has a grass median, which has been noted as inferior to if there was a jersey barrier.<ref>https://www.wlky.com/article/median-barrier-planned-site-fatal-watterson-crash-louisville/42538694</ref>
As of 2014, there were plans to rebuild the Brownsboro Road intersection into a SPUI.<ref>{{Cite web |title=I-264/US 42 Interchange Scoping Study Item No. 5-390.00 Jefferson County, Kentucky |url=https://transportation.ky.gov/Planning/Planning%20Studies%20and%20Reports/Scoping%20Study%20%205-390.00%20-%20Report.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517091614/https://transportation.ky.gov/Planning/Planning%20Studies%20and%20Reports/Scoping%20Study%20%205-390.00%20-%20Report.pdf |archive-date=May 17, 2024 |access-date=May 16, 2024}}</ref> The segment of I-264 underneath it also has a grass median, which has been noted as inferior to if there was a jersey barrier.<ref>https://www.wlky.com/article/median-barrier-planned-site-fatal-watterson-crash-louisville/42538694</ref>


==Future==
There are currently plans to rebuild the I-65 interchange.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://transportation.ky.gov/DistrictFive/Pages/I-65_I-264_Interchange_Planning_Study.aspx|title=I-65/I-264 Interchange Planning Study &#124; KYTC|website=transportation.ky.gov|access-date=May 16, 2024|archive-date=May 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240511071526/https://transportation.ky.gov/DistrictFive/Pages/I-65_I-264_Interchange_Planning_Study.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>
There are currently plans to rebuild the I-65 interchange.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://transportation.ky.gov/DistrictFive/Pages/I-65_I-264_Interchange_Planning_Study.aspx|title=I-65/I-264 Interchange Planning Study &#124; KYTC|website=transportation.ky.gov|access-date=May 16, 2024|archive-date=May 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240511071526/https://transportation.ky.gov/DistrictFive/Pages/I-65_I-264_Interchange_Planning_Study.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>


Revision as of 14:44, 22 August 2024

Interstate 264 marker
Interstate 264
Watterson/Shawnee Expressway
Map
I-264 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-64
Maintained by KYTC
Length22.93 mi[1] (36.90 km)
Existed1948–present
HistoryExpanded into a partial loop from 1958 to 1974
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
West end I-64 / US 150 in Shawnee
Major intersections
East end I-71 in Glenview Manor
Location
CountryUnited States
StateKentucky
CountiesJefferson
Highway system
  • Kentucky State Highway System
← KY 263→ I-265

Interstate 264 (I-264) is a partial loop around the city of Louisville, Kentucky, south of the Ohio River. An auxiliary route of I-64, it is signed as the Shawnee Expressway for its first eight miles (13 km) from its western terminus at I-64/U.S. Route 150 (US 150) to US 31W/US 60 and as the Watterson Expressway for the remainder of its length from US 31W/US 60 to its northeastern terminus at I-71. It is 22.93 miles (36.90 km) in length and runs an open circle around central Louisville.[1] It is the only auxiliary route of I-64 outside of Virginia.

I-264 is Louisville's inner beltway (in conjunction with I-64 and I-71), and the later constructed I-265, the Gene Snyder Freeway, is Louisville's outer beltway. I-264 is currently used as the primary detour route when I-64 is closed through Downtown Louisville. However, in late 2016 with the completion of the Lewis and Clark Bridge, the formerly separate segments of I-265 in Kentucky and Indiana have been connected to provide another detour route.

In discussions about the city, I-264 is often used as a rough line dividing the older areas of Louisville from its suburbs.

Route description

I-264 begins four miles (6.4 km) west of Downtown Louisville at I-64 just east of the Sherman Minton Bridge, which links Southern Indiana with Kentucky as it crosses the Ohio River. The Interstate ends approximately six miles (9.7 km) northeast of Downtown Louisville, where it connects to I-71.

History

1920s–1958: pre I-264 designation

Eastbound I-264 on the approach to I-64 and Shelbyville Road exits

The first suggestions for a major road were made in the 1900s. In the mid-1920s, there were proposals for an Inter-belt parkway.[2]

In 1941, a planning document described the need for a bypass around the southern end of Louisville. In 1942, work was started on the Innerbelt Expressway, however it was delayed due to a lack of US funding caused by World War II. In May 1948, work on the expressway resumed, this also involved the construction of one of Kentucky's first traffic circles.[3] In the summer of 1948, the expressway opened. The bypass was made up of what is now the expressway's current routing from the Dixie Highway to Shelbyville Road on the southeast side of the city. The road was a two-lane expressway that carried US 60 between Shelbyville Road and US 31W (Dixie Highway), it bypassed the previous route which ran straight through Louisville. However, it had multiple at-grade intersections and was only two lanes wide, making it an expressway only in name.

In 1949, contracts were let for the section of road between Brekingridge lane and Barnestown Road. A link was also planned to connect two disjointed segments of the highway.[4]

In 1950, contracts were awarded for a second segment of the expressway.[5]

In 1952, construction started on a new four lane roadway, it would connect to the 1949 road segment, which would remain unaltered. That same year, the all of the bypass was officially named as the "Henry Watterson Expressway"; it was named in honor of local journalist and editor Henry Watterson.[6]

By 1954, the entirety of the new roadway was either completed or under construction. It was also determined that the road would be extended from Shelbyville road to Brownsboro Road at a later date.[7]

By August 21, 1956, the highway was opened all the way from Shelbyville Road to the Dixie highway.[8]

Bounds to build an interchange with I-65 were awarded in 1955.[9] Construction on this interchange began in 1956. The new interchange was completed by September 7. It replaced the existing interchange with Phillips Lane, which was closed permanently,[10] though a coverleaf interchange was later constructed to connect with Criitiden Drive.

In 1957, older segments of the roadway were trenched and rebuilt.[11] By

1958–present: since designation

Interstate 264 was routed over the Watterson Expressway on November 10, 1958 

In 1965, the expressway extended from Shelbyville road to Brownsboro Road, inaddition,   ther original two lane segment was widened to  four lanes.

In 1955, construction bonds were awarded for a new interchange with I-64. Public hearings were held in April 1963, with no major public opposition. Work began later that year and was completed by late 1967.[12]

In August 14, 1961, 30 measures were applied on the 2 1/2 mile segment from Shelbyville Road to Brownsboro Road, which allowed for the expressway to be expanded. [13] On July 11, 1968, the 1⁄2 mile Watterson Expressway extension was completed. When completed, it began carrying I-264 traffic to and from I-71. Later that year, the other roadway segments of the Expressway had their asphalt upgraded at the cost of $1 million; previously when the road was wet, accidents were common due to its poor design.[14] All of the reconstruction and expansion work was complete by 1965.[6]

In 1972, safety improvements were made to the Breckenridge Lane interchange.[15]

In 1970, the first part of an extension known as the ‘’Shawnee Expressway'’ was opened; it connected to the part of the road at the Dixie Highway intersection with the reconstruction of said interchange not required, though its pavement was forced to be shortened. The final segment of the Shawnee Expressway, connecting to I-64 near Downtown Louisville was opened in 1974, completing the I-264 beltway.

US 60 was dropped from the original segment in 1984 when the original surface roads through Louisville were returned to their original designations.

Junction of US 31E and I-264

By the late 1960s, the older sections of the Watterson Expressway were considered highly outmoded, their poorly spaced interchanges and high weaving patterns meant they were not going to last more than 2 decades in a sufficient state without major reconstruction.[16] Starting in the 1970s, funding began to be poured into this planned improvement.[17] Work on the $100 million reconstruction project of the expressway began in 1984. Dozens of bridges were reconstructed or widened. The majority of interchanges were demolished and replaced from US 31W east to Shelbyville Road. Exit 6, 7, and 13 were never replaced, this was done to increase the distance between interchanges, and also due to the fact none of them held any particular importance.[18] The I-65 interchange was rebuilt and features numerous flyovers and collector–distributor lanes, making it safer though not necessarily easier to navigate. Most of the more at-grade exits were reconstructed from typical cloverleafs to rarer single-piont urban interchanges (SPUI), with the first one being completed in 1991. The project was fully completed in 1995.

In 2003, a project which rebuilt the Popular Level interchange into a SPUI was completed.

For its first 29 years of service, the Shawnee Expressway did not receive any major upgrades save for its completion. By the late 1990s, it was in desperate need of one, it was over 20 years old, and did not meet current Interstate Highway standards. After several years of planning, in March 2003, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) began to reconstruct the segment from US 31W to east of the Bank Street interchange. The old roadway was removed and a new concrete one several inches thick replaced it; witch unlike the old one, continued shoulders. The median was replaced with a jersey barrier in its entire length. The access ramps were widened to add shoulders, and new lighting fixtures were installed. 37 bridges were rehabilitated or replaced, 380 new signs was posted, all of the guardrails were replaced, and the part of the expressway from River Park Drive to I-64 was widened from too three lanes. On August 11 2004, the $66 million (equivalent to $92.8 million in 2023[19]) project was completed that required 18 months of labor. 7.6-mile (12.2 km) roadway total was rebuilt. Approximately 70,000 vehicles a day use the portion of I-264 near US 31W and about 40,000 daily use the segment near its western terminus with I-64.

In 1997, the old Crittenden Drive exit was closed. A replacement opened in 2007.

On April 1, 2010, the Kentucky General Assembly voted to officially dedicate the Shawnee Expressway the Georgia Davis Powers Expressway.[20] With this small signs were installed at both the I-64 terminus and the Dixie interchange, this marked the first time the expressway was officially signed. In colloquial talk, it is still often referred to by its original name, unlike the Watterson Expressway.

In October 2008, a project to widen the road from Westport Road to Brownsboro Road was started. It would expand the section of roadway from exit 22 to exit 19 to add a deceleration lane. Additionally, for the first time since the completion of the Shawnee Expressway, a new interchange was constructed, this one with Kentucky Route 1447 (KY 1447, Westport Road). Plans for the interchange dated back to 1992. Work was completed in May 2010.[21][22][23]

On July 17 2012, a project to widen the Watterson Expressway from two lanes to three lanes in between the Brownsboro Road and I-71 was started. Metal guard rails and concrete barriers were constructed on the left and right side of the roads respectively, and signage was upgraded. Both on-ramps traveling to Brownsboro Road were also widened to three lanes, and the westbound ramp gained a new Jughandle that was constructed to carry traffic to Kentucky Route 22. At the I-71 interchange, the ramp for traffic going onto I-71 was expanded by 3000 feet, allowing for the addition of deceleration lanes. The two-lane on-ramp was added at U.S. 42 to I-264 westbound.[24][25] Work was completed by 2013.

Throughout 2013, sound barriers were constructed along sections of Watterson Expressway.[26]

In 2017, as part of upgrades to the Dixie Highway, the single-laned jughandle ramp carrying I-264 westbound onto the westbound Dixie highway was permanently closed. Its replacement, a signalized two lane T-intersection, was opened later that year. This was done to improve traffic flow and increase safety.[27]

In 2018, the Breckenridge Lane interchange was widened.[28]

In 2016, an improvement project started on the I-64 intersection. Phase one involved creating two new ramps from I-64 west to I-264 east, and creating a new system of collector-distributor roads on I-264 east. It was completed in 2019. Phase two improved interchanges at Newtown and Witchduck roads, and built a new Greenwich Road flyover across I-264 that connects with Cleveland Street. Phase two was completed in 2022.[29]

In 2020, a project known as I-Move was started. It involves widening 5.5 miles of the Shawnee Expressway from four to six lanes and reconstructing its pavement from Cums Street to the Bank Street interchange. Because of this widening, 21 overpasses will be repaired, 5 overpasses will be widened, and 16 overpasses will be replaced. A new 10” PCC overlay will be placed on top of the unaltered PCC pavement. Also included was the rehabilitation of 18 ramps at four interchanges. Also involved is another reconstruction of the I-64 terminus, with a new pair of collector-distributor lanes traveling off of I-264 to and from I-71. It was later completed.


Future

As of 2014, there were plans to rebuild the Brownsboro Road intersection into a SPUI.[30] The segment of I-264 underneath it also has a grass median, which has been noted as inferior to if there was a jersey barrier.[31]

There are currently plans to rebuild the I-65 interchange.[32]

Exit list

The entire route is in Louisville, Jefferson County.

mikmExitDestinationsNotes
0.00.00A-B I-64 / US 150 – Louisville, Lexington, New Albany, St. LouisWestern terminus; Westbound exit/eastbound entrance & signed as exit 0A (east) & left 0B (west); I-64 exit 1; tri-stack interchange.
0.20.321Bank Street / Northwestern ParkwayEastbound exit and westbound entrance
1.01.62Muhammad Ali Boulevard / River Park Drive
2.33.73Virginia Avenue / Dumesnil Street
3.55.64 KY 2054 (Algonquin Parkway) / KY 2056 (Bells Lane)Eastbound exit not signed for KY 2054/Algonquin Parkway
4.7–
4.9		7.6–
7.9		5 KY 1934 (Cane Run Road) / Ralph AvenueEastbound exit signed as exits 5A (Ralph Avenue, Cane Run Road north) and 5B (Cane Run Road south) eastbound
6.911.18 US 31W / US 60 (Dixie Highway) – Fort Knox, ShivelySigned as exits 8A (south/west) and 8B (north/east)
West of this exit, I-264 is the Georgia Davis Powers Expressway; east of this exit it is the Watterson Expressway.
8.613.89 KY 1865 (Taylor Boulevard)
9.615.410 KY 1020 (Southern Parkway) / 3rd Street
10.516.911Crittenden Drive – Kentucky Exposition Center
10.817.411Louisville International Airport
10.817.412Kentucky Exposition Center (Freedom Way)Westbound exit is part of exit 11
10.917.512 I-65 / KY 61 – Nashville, IndianapolisI-65 exit 131A northbound, 131A-B southbound; former northern terminus of the Kentucky Turnpike, I-65 continued north
12.920.814 KY 864 (Poplar Level Road)
14.122.715 KY 1703 (Newburg Road)Signed as exits 15A (north) and 15B (south) westbound
15.124.316 US 31E / US 150 (Bardstown Road)
16.426.417 KY 155 (Taylorsville Road)Signed as exits 17A (south) and 17B (north)
17.227.718 KY 1932 (Breckenridge Lane)Signed as exits 18A (south) and 18B (north)
18.429.619 I-64 – Lexington, LouisvilleI-64 exit 12 westbound, 12A-B eastbound; signed as exits 19A (east) and 19B (west).
18.830.320 US 60 (Shelbyville Road) – Middletown, St. MatthewsSigned as exits 20A (east) and 20B (west)
20.432.821 KY 1447 (Westport Road)
21.634.822 US 42 / KY 22 (Brownsboro Road)
22.436.023 I-71 – Cincinnati, LouisvilleEastern terminus; Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; signed as left exit 23B (south) & 23A (north); I-71 exit 5; tri-stack interchange
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Table 2 – Auxiliary Routes – FHWA Route Log and Finder List – Interstate Highway System – National Highway System – Planning". Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Federal Highway Administration. December 31, 2021. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  2. ^ "Aug 24, 1952, page 39 - The Courier-Journal at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  3. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-1948-05-04-inner-b/7860254/
  4. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-march-13-1949-con/5297007/
  5. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-september-9-1950/5295150/
  6. ^ a b Kleber, John E., ed. (2001). "Watterson Expressway". The Encyclopedia of Louisville. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 926. ISBN 0-8131-2100-0. OCLC 247857447.
  7. ^ "1954-05-06 - Accord reached on highway work Pg. 1". The Courier-Journal. May 6, 1954. p. 1. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-august-22-1956-in/5295026/
  9. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-1955-09-23-ns-expr/6165823/
  10. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/image/108494204/?clipping_id=5960005&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjEwODQ5NDIwNCwiaWF0IjoxNzE1OTY1NTY0LCJleHAiOjE3MTYwNTE5NjR9.kF4QgTaQERhSMyalcZKQ6RWDEXjDN-iW1WB5igJ71Qo
  11. ^ https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1700&context=ktc_researchreports
  12. ^ https://www.aaroads.com/kentucky/louisville/
  13. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-1962-08-15-louisvi/10278870/
  14. ^ "Jul 12, 1968, page 17 - The Courier-Journal at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  15. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/image/110060420/?fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjExMDA2MDQyMCwiaWF0IjoxNzE2MDAzMDk4LCJleHAiOjE3MTYwODk0OTh9.SkGuy6c5oAFKBrLxNj6eFpgZGMwL3bG1iH_apglm2KU
  16. ^ "Jul 20, 1969, page 80 - The Courier-Journal at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |archive-date= (help); line feed character in |archive-date= at position 8 (help); line feed character in |title= at position 28 (help)
  17. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-journal-cj-17-nov-1996-p19/5734562/
  18. ^ Shapero, Ken (October 18, 1987). "Ramps at Watterson and I-65 are a-mazing for motorists". www.newspapers.com. The Courier Journal. pp. B1. Archived from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 9 (help)
  19. ^ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  20. ^ "House Joint Resolution 67" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 10, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  21. ^ Alcock, Andy (April 29, 2010). "New I-264 Interchange Opens At Westport Road – Louisville News Story – WLKY Louisville". wlky.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  22. ^ "KY 1447". KentuckyRoads.com. March 31, 2010. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  23. ^ "State to spend $47 million on I-264 at Westport Road interchange | Business First". Bizjournals.com. September 22, 2008. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  24. ^ https://transportation.ky.gov/DistrictFive/Press%20Releases/Forms/AllItems.aspx?Paged=TRUE&p_Release_x0020_Date=20120717%2004%3A00%3A00&p_ID=116&PageFirstRow=151&&View=%7B6069CADC-0D9E-4232-A001-87D383BC8D6F%7D
  25. ^ "Press Release Page | KYTC". transportation.ky.gov. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  26. ^ https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2013/11/01/sound-barrier-construction-scheduled-along-sections-of-watterson-snyder/3351973/
  27. ^ https://www.whas11.com/article/traffic/i-264w-at-us-31w-ramp-to-close-for-safety-improvement-project/417-472785648
  28. ^ https://www.wdrb.com/news/road-construction-season-ramps-up-this-weekend/article_9c82097f-700d-5c59-940f-e67e81961a96.html
  29. ^ "I-64/I-264 Improvements: Phase 1". www.i64i264improvements.org. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  30. ^ "I-264/US 42 Interchange Scoping Study Item No. 5-390.00 Jefferson County, Kentucky" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  31. ^ https://www.wlky.com/article/median-barrier-planned-site-fatal-watterson-crash-louisville/42538694
  32. ^ "I-65/I-264 Interchange Planning Study | KYTC". transportation.ky.gov. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
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