Interstate 264 is a partial loop around the city ofLouisville, Kentucky, south of the Ohio River. An auxiliary route of I-64, it is signed as the Shawnee Expressway for its first eight miles from its western terminus at I-64/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 in length, and runs an open circle around central Louisville, Kentucky. The highway begins four miles west of downtown 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 northeast of downtown Louisville, where it connects to I-71. I-264 is Louisville's inner beltway 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 Interstate 64 is closed through Downtown Louisville. However, in late 2016 with the completion of the East End 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, Interstate 264 is often used as a rough line dividing the older areas of Louisville from its suburbs.
History
In 1948, a bypass was built between Shelbyville Road and U.S. Route 31W in Louisville, as a relocation of US 60. It was named the "Watterson Expressway" after local journalist and editorHenry Watterson, and eventually extended to I-71. Between 1970 and 1974, the western segment from Dixie Highway to I-64 northwest of downtown Louisville was opened in segments when the entire expressway became part of the Interstate Highway System. The original section from Dixie Highway to I-71 still retained the "Watterson Expressway" moniker and was co-signed, along with the original US 60 designation, as I-264, while the western segment was originally named the "Shawnee Expressway", even though signage referred to it simply as "I-264", with no mention of the "Shawnee Expressway" name. The interstate was completed in 1974. The designation US 60 was dropped in 1984 when the original surface roads through Louisville were restored to their original US 60 designations. On April 1, 2010, the Kentucky General Assembly designated the western portion to be renamed as the Georgia Davis Powers Expressway. The original Dixie Highway to I-71 segment signage reads as "I-264 Watterson Expressway", while the western segment signage still only reads as "I-264", with a small sign at both the western I-64 terminus, and the Dixie interchange reading "Georgia Davis Powers Expressway".
Watterson Expressway Reconstruction (1985–1995)
The Watterson Expressway underwent a major reconstruction effort that began in 1985. The vintage freeway had outlived its useful purpose and had numerous characteristics that defined it as a blight on Louisville: deteriorating overpasses, buckling pavement, deficient and too closely spaced interchanges, and rampant congestion. Dozens of bridges were reconstructed and widened, and the majority of the interchanges were redesigned and rebuilt from the ground up from Dixie Highway east to Shelbyville Road. The entire highway reconstruction project was completed in 1995. A typical deficient interchange along I-264 was the I-65, Kentucky Exposition Center and Louisville International Airport exit. Before the reconstruction, two cloverleafs with no collector and distributor lanes existed and posed serious weaving issues. The interchange today has been rebuilt and features numerous flyovers and collector and distributor lanes, making it safer, though not necessarily easier to navigate.
Shawnee Expressway Reconstruction (2003–2004)
The segment of I-264 from Dixie Highway to the northwest I-64 interchange opened in segments from 1970 to August 1974 and received no more than emergency or spot patching. After several years of planning, in early 2003, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet began a rehabilitation project on this segment of Interstate Highway stretching from the Dixie Highway interchange northwest to just east of Bank Street. A concrete surface several inches thick was constructed on the mainline and access ramps, a new median barrier was formed, new lighting fixtures were installed, 37 bridges were rehabilitated, and 380 new roadway signage was posted and all guardrails were replaced as part of the project. In addition, the segment from River Park Drive to I-64, which was only two lanes, was widened to three lanes. No major ramp or interchange modifications were needed. The highway reconstruction project cost approximately $66 million and required 18 months of labor. About 70,000 vehicles a day use the portion of Interstate 264 near Dixie Highway and about 40,000 daily use the segment near its western terminus with I-64.
Westport Road interchange (2008-2010)
Although the Kentucky General Assembly considered plans for an interchange with Westport Road as early as 1992, work did not begin until October 2008 and was completed in May 2010.
