A new $933 million Interstate Highway 69 Bridge over the Ohio River is one step closer to fruition after the Kentucky Public Transportation Infrastructure Authority penned a new tolling agreement.
Once completed, the bridge will connect Henderson, Kentucky, to Evansville, Indiana, across the Ohio River. Expected benefits include improved long-term cross-river mobility and safety and reduced congestion and delays.
The new inter-local agreement establishes the Tolling Body for the I-69 Ohio River Crossing. The group will determine the rates and rules for the bridge’s tolls and will consist of the chairman of KPTIA, a person designated by the chairman, the secretary of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the commissioner of the Indiana Department of Transportation and a person designated by the commissioner of INDOT.
The I-69 bridge tolls will contribute to the $150 million in general funds available for the project. The states’ financial plan calls for toll revenue financing to be supplemented by federal and state funding from both Kentucky and Indiana.
The KPTIA also updated the Bi-State Development Agreement that Kentucky and Indiana established in August 2025 to recognize U.S. Highway 41 as a concurrent route with I-69. The U.S. 41 corridor will become Kentucky Route 2341 and Indiana Route 141 and open the door for both states to pursue removing the roadway from the National Truck Network.
KPTIA expects to award the design-build contract for Section Two of the I-69 Bridge by the end of 2026, and the KYTC has identified three shortlisted proposers. Construction on Section Two, which will create the new river crossing, is expected to begin in 2027 and conclude in 2031.
Section One, which covers the Kentucky approach to the bridge, began in Summer 2022 and was substantially completed by October 2025. It includes a six-mile extension to I-69 and new interchanges with Kentucky Highway 351, U.S. 41 and U.S. 60. That contract was awarded to the Ragle Inc. and Stantec Consulting Services Inc. design-build team.
Section Three of the I-69 Bridge will cover some of the approach roadways and bridges on the Indiana side and will be led by INDOT, with construction expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
