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INDIANAPOLIS ─ Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Michael B. Cline and Kentucky Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock announced that Kentucky and Indiana are working together with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to supplement the 2003 Record of Decision (ROD) for the Ohio River Bridges Project. The supplement will include an analysis of potential new environmental impacts attributed to the states' plans to construct the bridges as tolled facilities and to make other cost saving changes.

The two states, working with the FHWA, will update the original environmental document with new information ─ including proposed cost-saving options and limited tolling scenarios ─ under a federally prescribed process known as a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS).

The two states plan to present the draft SEIS to FHWA by summer. A public comment period will follow the FHWA review and a final document could be completed by December.

The update will focus on changes that could have environmental impacts that were not evaluated in the original Environmental Impact Statement process, which led to the 2003 Record of Decision. The update will evaluate the cost-saving approaches recommended by the two governors and Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher:

• Rebuilding the Kennedy Interchange in the existing location rather than move it south
• Reducing the East End bridge, roadway, and tunnel from six lanes to four lanes, with the option to add two lanes later if traffic demand warrants
• Removing the proposed pedestrian and bike path from the design of a new downtown I-65 bridge as a result of a separate project to complete the Big Four Bridge pedestrian walkway and bike path.

The review also will consider the impact of tolling. The update will continue the extensive public involvement process that has been a hallmark of the bridges project. Citizens will be invited to offer their input on the proposals being considered in the SEIS review.

The update process will move forward on a parallel track with the work of the Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority, which is developing a proposal to close the financing gap to fund the project.

The Bridges Authority, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, and the Indiana Department of Transportation are co-hosting an industry innovation forum this week to showcase the bridges project and explore creative approaches to project development. More than 800 people in the construction and financing industries have registered to attend.

Once the supplemental environmental document for the bridges project receives federal approval in early 2012, the states will be on track to begin contracting and construction in the second half of 2012.