Louisville’s Ironman Triathlon has pushed through extreme heat, fast currents and even algae blooms in the Ohio River. But this year, highway construction brought the event to a stop.
“We do not have the ability to pull the permits for Ironman to sell the needed number of registrations for the 70.3 in August,” said Greg Fante, president of the Louisville Sports Commission.
Next summer, I-65 will shut down in both directions from Jefferson to the Watterson. Crews will replace three aging bridges, forcing 125,000 vehicles a day onto surface streets across the city.
“At the end of the day, the Transportation Cabinet’s main responsibility is to ensure clean thoroughfares for commuters,” Fante said. “They will not issue permits for recreational events like the Ironman Triathlon that require road closures.”
Construction on a two-mile stretch of I-71 from the downtown interchange to Zorn Avenue will add even more disruption, making travel throughout the summer far from normal.
Tourists may feel the impact most. To prevent confusion and delays, Louisville Tourism has alerted 40 groups with summer events about expected detours.
“The biggest frustration happens when people don’t know about the closures and aren’t prepared,” said Rosanne Mastin, communications manager for Louisville Tourism. “We’re encouraging groups to learn which routes are open, which ones aren’t, and to plan extra travel time.”
Mastin said the largest affected event is the Run 4 The Roses basketball tournament, which draws 200,000 people.
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