The value of experience, or how the "Sherman Minton Renewal brings fears of congestion, economic pressure on poor neighborhoods."

Kudos to writer Michael L. Jones and Insider Louisville for digging deeper.

Sherman Minton Renewal brings fears of congestion, economic pressure on poor neighborhoods

Social justice advocate Cathy Hinko said she believes the Sherman Minton Renewal, slated to begin in 2021, will have a negative impact on low-income residents in Louisville and Southern Indiana.

The Sherman Minton Renewal could take up to three years to complete and will cost more than $90 million. The Indiana Department of Transportation and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet hosted two public feedback sessions this week, one on Tuesday in New Albany and another on Thursday at the Chestnut Street Family YMCA where Hinko raised her concerns.

“The neighborhoods in west Louisville are extremely segregated, as a result, deprived of easy access to retail and to grocery stores. Frequently, they pop over to New Albany for that access. So, what’s going to happen when the Sherman Minton is closed is those neighborhoods are going to be even more isolated from shops, food and entertainment,” said Cathy Hinko, executive director of the Metropolitan Housing Coalition, citing expected lane closures and shutdowns of the Interstate 64 bridge associated with the renewal project.

Part of the reason such extensive repairs are needed, Hinko said, is because Kentucky and Indiana transportation officials underestimated the impact that the $2.3 billion Ohio River Bridges Project would have on the 56-year old Sherman Minton and the 89-year old George Rogers Clark Memorial bridges, which remain the only two non-tolled bridges in the area ...

... David Coyte, president of the Coalition for the Advancement of Regional Transportation, said he thinks the dollars being invested in bridge construction and repairs would be better spent on a light rail system that crossed the river.

Balance and insight from a veteran journalist.

For more:

Possible Sherman Minton closure concerns residents, by Brooke McAfee (Tom May Anthology)

NEW ALBANY — New Albany resident Maura Murphy said she is concerned about how the planned construction on the Sherman Minton Bridge will affect her daily commute to work in Louisville.