John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial Bridge, Louisville

The John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge is a key transportation link that carries six southbound lanes of Interstate 65 over the Ohio River, connecting Louisville, Kentucky, with Jeffersonville, Indiana. Completed in 1963 and designed by the Louisville firm Hazelet & Erdal, the cantilever bridge stretches 2,498 feet in total length, with two main spans of 700 feet. Though it opened unnamed, it was dedicated to President John F. Kennedy just weeks after his assassination in November 1963, following a proposal by Monsignor John N. Dudine that was quickly embraced by Kentucky’s leadership.

Construction on the bridge began in 1961. It opened for northbound traffic on December 6, 1963, and southbound lanes followed shortly thereafter. Over time, the bridge became both a symbolic landmark and a vital conduit for regional travel. However, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the bridge was plagued by deterioration and controversy. Failed repainting contracts and a bribery scandal led to wasted funds exceeding $23 million before a successful repainting effort was completed in 2008, bringing the total cost of restoration to $60 million.

To ease congestion, a second bridge-the Abraham Lincoln Bridge-was added in 2015 as part of the Ohio River Bridges Project. During renovations, all I-65 traffic was temporarily rerouted, and the Kennedy Bridge received a new deck. It reopened in phases in late 2016 and now exclusively serves southbound I-65 traffic, while the Lincoln Bridge handles northbound lanes. Tolling began the same year.

Today, the Kennedy Bridge remains a critical fixture in Louisville’s infrastructure and a lasting memorial to President Kennedy. Its layered history-from its post-assassination dedication to modern-day upgrades-reflects both the challenges and achievements of maintaining a mid-century engineering landmark in a 21st-century transportation network.