The Interstate 69 Ohio River Bridge is proposed bridge to carry the planned Interstate 69

Interstate 69

Interstate 69 is an Interstate Highway in the United States. It exists in two parts: a completed highway from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, and a mostly proposed extension southwest to the Mexican border in Texas...

 extension over the Ohio River between Evansville, Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...

 and Henderson, Kentucky

Henderson, Kentucky

Henderson is a city in Henderson County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River in the western part of the state. The population was 27,952 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area often referred to as "Kentuckiana", although "Tri-State Area" or "Tri-State" are more...

. The bridge and its approach roadways make up Segment of Independent utility (SIU) 4 of the I-69 corridor from Michigan to Texas. It will be built approximately 3 miles upstream of the existing US-41 bridges.

Status

Environmental studies were initiated in 2001, and a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was issued in March 2004. Environmental studies were suspended when no funding source was identified to build the bridge, which is estimated to cost $1.4 billion. Kentucky is responsible for financing two-thirds of the construction cost, and Indiana will finance the remaining third. Indiana has funding available for its portion of the project through the state's Major Moves

Major Moves

Major Moves is a studio album by American country music artist Hank Williams, Jr. It was released by Warner Bros. Records in May 1984. "Attitude Adjustment," "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" and the title track were released as singles...

 program, but Kentucky lacks such a program and has yet to identify a funding source for its portion of the construction costs.

The I-69 bridge is competing for funding against other Ohio River bridge projects that Kentucky is attempting to complete, most notably the Ohio River Bridges Project

Ohio River Bridges Project

The Ohio River Bridges Project is a controversial Louisville metropolitan area transportation project involving the reconstruction of the Kennedy Interchange , the completion of two new Ohio River bridges and the reconstruction of ramps on Interstate 65 between I-264 and downtown.One bridge will be...

 between Louisville and southern Indiana, and the Brent Spence Bridge

Brent Spence Bridge

The Brent Spence Bridge is a double decker cantilever truss bridge that carries Interstates 71 and 75 across the Ohio River between Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio. The top deck carries southbound traffic while the bottom deck carries northbound traffic. It is arguably the most important...

 replacement project between Covington and Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

.

The Kentucky Legislature passed House Bill 3 in 2008 that authorizes the state to establish joint bridge authorities with Indiana to finance and build crossings of the Ohio River, specifically with these three megaprojects in mind. While a joint authority has been established to advance work on the Louisville bridges, Kentucky officials have opted to wait on establishing a similar authority for the I-69 bridge until construction on the Louisvlle bridges is underway.