Interstate 265

Interstate 265 (I-265) is a  Interstate Highway encircling the Louisville, Kentucky, metropolitan area, which includes Southern Indiana. In Kentucky, it travels through Jefferson County, from I-65 in the southern part of Louisville, meeting I-65 again in Indiana, where the road continues west to I-64, where it ends.

The entire Kentucky stretch of the road is co-signed with Kentucky Route 841 (KY 841). An additional  stretch of freeway between US 31W/US 60/KY 1934 and I-65 in the south part of Louisville is solely designated as KY 841. The highway is named the Gene Snyder Freeway (originally named the Jefferson Freeway), after the former congressman, and usually called "the Snyder" by locals. It is considered part of Louisville's beltline.

Route description

|-
| IN || 13.1 || 21.1
|-
| KY || 38.9 || 62.6
|-
| Total || 52 || 83.7
|}

Indiana

Interstate 265 (I-265) in the U.S. state of Indiana presently runs  from I-64 at the western edge of New Albany to the Lewis and Clark Bridge near Utica. Beginning at its western terminus, the freeway is concurrent with Indiana State Road 62 until Exit 10.

Kentucky
Interstate 265 (I-265) in the U.S. state of Kentucky presently runs  from the Lewis and Clark Bridge in northern Louisville to an interchange with I-65 in southern Louisville. The entire freeway is concurrent with Kentucky Route 841.

The Gene Snyder Freeway in which KY 841 and I-265 overlap for  between I-65 and the Indiana state line has seen an increase in serious accidents. The primary factors stem from its low-level grass median which offers little to no protection for crossover incidents. Driver inattention and increased traffic and congestion has led to a decline in the overall level-of-service. In 2006, cable barriers were installed in the median for  between I-71 and I-64, with further installation possible in the near future. Part of the road is currently signed in kilometers, which is unusual in the United States.

Kentucky Route 841

Kentucky Route 841 (KY 841) is a  state highway in the suburbs of Louisville. The route is a partial beltway, encircling Louisville on its southern and eastern sides. Compass direction changes to the north and south of exit 23, Taylorsville Road interchange. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 31W (US 31W) and US 60 in the southwest Louisville community of Valley Station, where KY 841 continues to the west as KY 1934 while the northern terminus is at the Lewis and Clark Bridge and to the north of the East End Tunnel. The section between its terminus at KY 1934 and I-65 is solely designated as KY 841.

History

Originally signed just as KY 841, the Jefferson Freeway was constructed originally with two sections, one between KY 155 (Taylorsville Road) and US 60 (Shelbyville Road) and a second section between KY 1447 (Westport Road) and US 42 in the 1960s as short connectors to the eastern suburban expansion as well as a new Ford plant. I-264 by 1970 was woefully congested and was in dire need of reconstruction and other improvements, therefore I-265 was proposed as an outer beltway to provide pass-through motorists relief from the congestion of I-264. Construction started in the early 1980s and was finished later that decade and signed in 1987.

The road is signed as I-265 and KY 841 from the I-65 interchange to the Indiana state line. From I-65 west to US 31W (although it is up to Interstate Highway standards), is signed solely as KY 841 due to American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials numbering rules. KY 841 is signed throughout the entire designation of I-265. The exit numbering for the entire beltway starts at the western terminus of KY 841.

Indiana State Road 265

The segment of the highway between I-65 and SR 60 at Exit 10 in Indiana was formerly known as Indiana State Road 265. It was changed in June 2019 to an Interstate under approval by AASHTO.

Studies have also been conducted for the reconfiguration of the I-265 and I-64 interchange. It is currently an underpowered cloverleaf with no collector–distributor lanes, a relic of the original Jefferson Freeway.

In late 2005, members of the Louisville Metro Council proposed a committee to begin planning a western bridge to link the southwestern end of the highway in Kentucky to Indiana. However the proposal of the western bridge was not put into action yet.

On December 18, 2016, State Road 265 was extended east of State Road 62, which crosses the Ohio River connecting with KY 841, which was extended north of U.S. 42 in Kentucky as part of the Ohio River Bridges Project, creating a bypass around the eastern side of the city of Louisville.

On June 4, 2019, the two disjointed sections of I-265 were finally connected under AASHTO approval, with the Indiana State Road 265 designation decommissioned and replaced by I-265. However, the signage has not yet been replaced to reflect the AASHTO approval. The Kentucky Route 841 designation mostly concurrent with I-265 in Kentucky has remained.

Lewis and Clark Bridge

In various discussions for over 30 years, the Lewis and Clark Bridge (previously referred to as the East End Bridge) is part of a new  highway that connects State Road 265 in Indiana to KY 841 in Kentucky. The completion of the bridge connected the two disjointed highways to form a three-quarter beltway around the Louisville, Kentucky, metro area. The bridge was opened to traffic on December 18, 2016. There are currently no plans to construct a bridge on the west end of I-265.

Exit list

See also

Roads in Louisville, Kentucky

References

External links

 KentuckyRoads.com: I-265

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Category:Transportation in Jefferson County, Kentucky
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Category:Transportation in Clark County, Indiana
Category:Transportation in Floyd County, Indiana