Indiana Governor Mike Braun has asked federal transportation officials to hold off on approving Kentucky's plan to reconfigure the Clark Memorial Bridge, arguing the proposal could choke traffic heading into Jeffersonville. In a letter dated July 29, Braun asked the Federal Highway Administration to withhold approval of the lane and repair plans until Indiana's concerns are resolved. The dispute centers on a nearly century-old span that carries tens of thousands of drivers between Louisville and southern Indiana every day.
Braun's letter, first detailed by WLKY, urges the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Indiana Department of Transportation to share modeling data for the proposed three-lane configuration and to monitor construction traffic before any changes move forward. According to the station, Braun said the proposed changes could create major problems for Jeffersonville, and warned that reducing southbound capacity could cause longer backups and push more drivers to seek alternate routes through the city. Jeffersonville already experiences traffic backups across the bridge even with two lanes running each direction, per the same report.
KYTC presented its bridge redesign in March 2026, and the plan would reduce the span to three total traffic lanes — two northbound into southern Indiana and just one southbound into Louisville. As reported by LEO Weekly, the roughly $8 million project is intended to fix structural steel, widen travel lanes from their current 9.5 feet, install a concrete median safety barrier, and remove the bridge's existing pedestrian sidewalk. The redesign is aimed at creating wider lanes and reducing crashes on a structure that has long been criticized as too narrow for modern traffic.
Jeffersonville's Monthslong Pushback
Local opposition to the plan predates Braun's letter by months. Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore has opposed the project and sent letters to KYTC in March and June objecting to single-lane southbound traffic, according to WHAS11. Moore offered alternatives including lowering bridge tolls and restricting large commercial trucks, and he expressed concern about receiving no response from KYTC, the station reported.
By late June, that frustration had spread beyond Jeffersonville. Local leaders in Jeffersonville and neighboring Clarksville, Indiana, formally united in opposition to KYTC's three-lane concept, the outlet reported in a separate story. Both towns' opposition helps explain why the reduction plan has generated such regional pushback.
Why the Bridge Carries So Much Traffic
Part of what makes the lane fight so consequential is sheer volume. The Clark Memorial Bridge had nearly 35,000 daily crossings in 2024. The toll-free crossing has seen increased use instead of nearby tolled bridges, which is part of why any reduction in capacity worries Indiana officials.
The bridge itself is nearly a century old. Its narrow 9.5-foot lanes were never built with shoulders, a design quirk from nearly a century ago that has become the crux of today's safety debate.
A Crash That Started the Conversation
Concerns about the bridge's dimensions intensified after a March 2024 truck crash required a rescue, according to EMS1. The incident brought attention to the bridge's dimensions. The bridge's narrow lanes are central to the lane-reconfiguration debate.
KYTC has since taken interim steps while the larger redesign remains stalled. In December 2024, the cabinet lowered the maximum allowable weight for Type IV semi-trucks crossing the bridge from 40 tons to 36 tons, following safety inspections, while confirming the bridge remained structurally safe for passenger vehicles, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. At last check, the broader lane-reconfiguration project remained on hold because of the I-65 Central Corridor project, and the timing of any next steps was unclear.
The Fight Moves to Washington
Braun's letter brings the standoff to the federal level by asking federal transportation officials to halt possible restructuring of the bridge. Indiana's governor asked federal transportation officials to halt possible restructuring of the bridge, and specifically wants the Federal Highway Administration to withhold approval of the lane and repair plans until Indiana's concerns are resolved, according to WLKY. Whether that request will delay KYTC's timeline, or whether the two states can reach an agreement on the disputed southbound lane, remains unresolved.
