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Supporters
The Ohio River Bridges Project has deep support in the Louisville metropolitan region, and leaders throughout Kentucky and Indiana recognize its importance to the economy in their home towns.
Thousands of residents from Louisville and Southern Indiana participated in an extensive public involvement program that led to the decision in 2003 to build the two new bridges and to fix Spaghetti Junction.
Their comments underscored the need for every element of the project and their involvement helped shape the bridge routes and bridge designs that were selected.
Here’s what supporters are saying about the vital need for the project and the benefits it will bring:
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"I have been involved in a number of high profile community projects over the years including the airport expansion, the merger of city and county governments in Louisville and the new downtown arena, but there is no single project more important to our regional and state economy than the bridges and reconstruction of Spaghetti Junction."
- C. Edward Glasscock, chairman of Build the Bridges Coalition
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“This project affects much more than Louisville and the 700,000 people who live here. In fact, it’s crucial to the entire states of Kentucky and Indiana and the millions of people who depend on the continued movement of goods and services and people for economic growth and vitality.”
- Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson
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“The Bridges Project is long over due and will help the entire region get ahead economically. Every day progress is delayed, the cost rises significantly. We need to get it completed as soon as possible.”
- Ben Richmond, president and CEO, Louisville Urban League.
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"The I-65 corridor needs an efficient bridge system in Louisville. Our businesses, including the Corvette Plant in Bowling Green, and other auto assembly plants throughout the region and state, need this project to move their products. We need it to compete successfully with other regions and states for good paying jobs in the future."
- Bowling Green Mayor Elaine Walker
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“Businesses crucial to our economy – Ford, UPS, and Toyota – and many others all over Kentucky and Indiana depend on the pinch point of bridges and connecting highways in Louisville. We simply must get the project completed as soon as possible to address major congestion and safety issues in our system. The Ohio River Bridges Project is crucial for our future economic needs.”
- Joe Reagan, president and chief executive officer of Greater Louisville, Inc., the metro chamber of commerce and economic development agency for the Louisville, Kentucky - Southern Indiana metropolitan area.
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"Our transportation network is the underpinning for our economy. Our bridges and connecting highways are showing signs of failure and we need this project as soon as possible to make sure we have a strong economy in the future. The longer it is delayed, the more expensive it will be. We can’t afford not to build it.”
- Michael Dalby, president and chief executive officer, One Southern Ind., the Economic Development Council and chamber of commerce for Floyd and Clark counties.
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“We have one of the highest concentrations of logistics jobs in the country; over twice the national average. These jobs depend on the timely movement of goods through and around this community. Manufacturing plants all over this community depend on just-in-time deliveries from companies like Eagle Steel. We used to tout the area as the “Epicenter of automotive and appliance alley.” Unless we correct our bridge situation soon both commerce and new business will bypass the region.”
- Charles Moore, president, Eagle Steel Company
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“The I-65 corridor is a lifeline for much of Kentucky. Our employers need an efficient and safe cross-river system in Louisville to keep this lifeline healthy and to make sure all Kentuckians have good economic opportunities in the future. Elizabethtown and dozens of other cities across the state simply can’t have a bottleneck in Louisville.”
-Elizabethtown Mayor David Willmoth
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“In terms of our economy, the cost of not building the project will be far greater than the cost of building it. The future of our economy lies in the wise decisions we make today. The capital investment we are willing to sacrifice today will determine our future, economically speaking, 20 years down the road.”
- Marilyn Cordova-Winchell, editor, Hoy en las Americas, weekly bilingual newspaper
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