WASHINGTON, D.C, – This week, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urging continued federal support for the Interstate 69 Ohio River Crossing (I-69 ORX), an important project that will boost regional connectivity and economic growth by supplementing the aging Highway 41 twin bridges with a safer, more modern interstate link between Evansville, Indiana, and Henderson, Kentucky.
In part, the letter reads:
“As the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) works to complete the interchange and embankments on the northern approach and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet prepares to solicit the bridge construction contract and start the final phase of the project, continued support from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is crucial.”
Click here to see the full letter or see text below:
Dear Secretary Duffy:
I write to reiterate my support for the Interstate 69 Ohio River Crossing (I-69 ORX) project. As you know, I-69 ORX will connect Evansville and the Southwest Indiana region with Henderson, Kentucky. This represents a drastic improvement over the existing Highway 41 twin bridges, one of which is nearly 100 years old. The build-out of I-69 through Indiana and Kentucky is a major step forward to establish a new interstate corridor through the middle of the country, spanning Michigan to Texas.
As the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) works to complete the interchange and embankments on the northern approach and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet prepares to solicit the bridge construction contract and start the final phase of the project, continued support from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is crucial.
My staff recently visited the construction site, and INDOT leaders emphasized the importance of federal resources supplementing the dollars that the states have already appropriated and will raise through tolls. Their projections indicate I-69 ORX will be heavily utilized, especially for trucking, and generate robust revenue. In order for that to happen, the USDOT Bridge Investment Program grant program is crucial to complete the project. I strongly support INDOT’s August 1, 2025, I-69 ORX grant application.
ORX and the extension of the I-69 corridor are transformative infrastructure improvements that will connect communities and create jobs. The project is also a model of effective federal-state-local collaboration.
I appreciate your personal commitment to the 1-69 ORX project and look forward to working with you to see it to completion.