From the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet:

Work on northbound Interstate 65 to continue through mid-October
Additional sub-grade repairs needed to support roadway

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 5, 2009) — Work on northbound Interstate 65 will continue a week longer than expected because of the discovery that ground beneath the road surface – an area known as the sub-grade – is unstable and requires extensive repairs.

Construction on the driving lanes of the northbound side was originally to be completed by Wednesday, Oct. 7. The repair work – removal of unstable soil beneath the concrete roadway in the southern portion of the work zone between Fern Valley Road and Grade Lane – will necessitate keeping continuous lane closures in place through Oct. 14. The exit ramp from northbound I-65 to Preston Highway and Grade Lane will remain closed during this time.

“We knew that the soil underneath the roadway in the northern section of the project was not stable. Plans for sub-grade removal and replacement were already in the contract for this section,” stated Matt Bullock, chief district engineer for the Louisville District, Department of Highways. “Once the concrete was removed in the southern section, it became obvious that this sub-grade would not support the construction traffic and subsequently the new asphalt roadway.”

Repair work will involve removing a 1-foot-thick layer of soil and replacing it with a foot of crushed aggregate.

The $28.7 million project – “Revive 65” – involves the replacement of concrete pavement with asphalt on the 3-mile section of interstate between Fern Valley Road and I-264 (Watterson Expressway). Eighteen million dollars of the cost of Revive 65 is being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

To complete Revive 65 as quickly as possible, contractors have been working 24 hours a day since Sept. 21. The section of northbound I-65 that normally is five lanes wide has been reduced to three lanes during construction. In the northern section of the project near the Watterson, where I-65 normally is three lanes wide, traffic has been reduced to two lanes.

A tri-venture of three companies – Louisville Paving, Hall Contracting and Hinkle Construction – was awarded the contract for Revive 65. Work on mainline I-65 must be completed no later than Nov. 15, 2009. All remaining ramp work will be completed by Dec. 15. Project updates can be found on revive65.ky.gov. Motorists can sign up at twitter.com/kytcrevive65 to receive traffic updates during weekday rush hours.