Safey Now
Safety risks and high accident rates – that’s the current situation
Our bridges and connecting highways do not meet safety standards and suffer from “high crash rates,” according to a federal study.
The federal study authorizing the Bridges Project describes accident rates that are alarmingly high and calls for changes that will address safety risks. (Final Environmental Impact Statement, page 2-27):
- Accidents in Spaghetti Junction where I-65, I-64 and I-71 converge are 172 percent higher than average for urban interstate interchanges in Kentucky
- On I-65 in Indiana just north of the Kennedy Bridge, the crash rate is 98 percent higher than the statewide average.
- When crashes occur or vehicles break down, it is difficult for emergency equipment to quickly respond because of the lack of emergency lanes. These circumstances cause increased traffic congestion and additional safety risks.
- Spaghetti Junction and the region’s three Ohio River bridges - the Sherman Minton (I-64), the Kennedy Bridge (I-65) and the Clark Memorial Bridge – fail to meet safety standards. None of the bridges are wide enough for the lanes of traffic they carry and the bridges and Spaghetti Junction lack adequate shoulder lanes.
The shoulders on the Kennedy Bridge were removed more than a decade ago to accommodate growing traffic volume, contributing to safety risks – and the additional traffic lane was still not enough to adequately handle the volume.
The new bridges and Spaghetti Junction will meet safety standards while providing a modern, efficient cross-river transportation network.