More traffic headaches coming to I-71 - WLOX.com - The News for South Mississippi

More traffic headaches coming to I-71

Posted: Updated:
By Chris McGill - bio | email
Kevin Bailey Kevin Bailey
Andrea Clifford Andrea Clifford
Traffic backed up on Interstate 71 on April 17. Traffic backed up on Interstate 71 on April 17.

  • Most Popular StoriesMost Popular Stories

  • Friday, May 24 2013 9:35 AM EDT2013-05-24 13:35:10 GMT
    According to Biloxi police, a gun went off inside the downtown Biloxi Waffle House early Friday morning. The bullet shattered one of the restaurant's windows. Moments later, the gun's owner was taken
    According to Biloxi police, a gun went off inside the downtown Biloxi Waffle House early Friday morning. The bullet shattered one of the restaurant's windows. Moments later, the gun's owner was taken to jail.  Police say Sam Edward Yu is charged with attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The 21-year-old is from Montgomery, Alabama.

  • Monday, May 13 2013 12:24 PM EDT2013-05-13 16:24:04 GMT
    MARION COUNTY, MS (WDAM) - A weekend-long drug raid left 22 individuals behind bars, and more arrests to come. According to Marion County Sheriff Berkley Hall, the drug raid is the result of several
    A weekend-long drug raid left 22 individuals behind bars, and more arrests to come.

  • Friday, May 24 2013 6:49 AM EDT2013-05-24 10:49:03 GMT
    It's a voyage that helps introduce tourists to those small waterfront towns that they may not ordinarily think to visit. A cruise ship docked in Biloxi on Wednesday night. Then on Thursday, passengers
    It's a voyage that helps introduce tourists to those small waterfront towns that they may not ordinarily think to visit. A cruise ship docked in Biloxi on Wednesday night. Then on Thursday, passengers visited several attractions including the Biloxi lighthouse and the visitors center. The Grande Caribe set sail from New Orleans and will continue on until it reaches St. Petersburg. Crew members said it's the stops along the way that makes these small cruises stand out.
    •   

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - The construction project along the southbound lanes of Interstate 71 in Louisville is just about halfway finished. Monday, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet provided WAVE 3 with a behind the scenes look at the work being done to rebuild the bridge decks to prepare for the paving project to begin in the next couple of weeks. The tour was meant to coincide with Work Zone Safety Week, which is April 23 through 27.

Kevin Bailey, an engineering supervisor with KYTC, said although there have been some traffic headaches, overall the project is moving along well.

"We're currently on schedule and we're hoping to get this done by the 30th and then we'll be able to take a break for Derby let everybody enjoy the festivities and we'll come back the weekend following Derby and begin on northbound," said Bailey.

When that switch takes place drivers may be in for another shock similar to the one they may have had when the construction began the Monday after spring break in Jefferson County., KYTC spokesperson Andrea Clifford said a complete shutdown of a stretch of I-71 is a must.

"When we switch over to do the bridge decks on the northbound side the weekend after Derby we're going to completely close both directions for one weekend," said Clifford. "We're going to pave the southbound direction that weekend. That will allow us to have paving trucks simultaneously going down both lanes at the same time."

The complete closure is tentatively set for the weekend of May 12, weather permitting. The closure will be along I-71 from the I-264 (Watterson Expressway) interchange to I-65 in Spaghetti Junction. Traffic will be detoured from the east via I-264 to I-64 and from downtown via I-64 or River Rd.

Copyright 2012 WAVE News. All rights reserved.