Tuesday October 14, 2025
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SubscribeTolling on the Louisville – Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project is scheduled to begin tomorrow. Tolling is scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. Friday, December 30 on the new SR 265 Lewis and Clark Bridge, the new I-65 Abraham Lincoln Bridge and the improved I-65 Kennedy Bridge.
The Kennedy and Lincoln bridges provide 12 lanes of I-65 traffic connecting Downtown Louisville and Southern Indiana. The Lincoln Bridge carries six lanes of I-65 North traffic, and the Kennedy carries six lanes of I-65 South traffic. The Lewis and Clark Bridge, which opened to traffic Dec. 18, connects the Gene Snyder Freeway in Prospect, Ky. with State Road 265 in Utica, Ind.
RiverLink is all-electronic tolling, with no toll booths, no coin machines, no lines and no stopping.
Information for Drivers
It’s important for drivers to remember that tolling will not change their commute. They should not slow or stop while approaching the tolled bridges. All-electronic tolling means all drivers are able to move at the speed of traffic, with no slowing and no delays.
Drivers with transponders will pay the lowest rates. Sensors read transponders, and the appropriate toll is deducted from prepaid accounts. Cameras will capture the license plates of drivers without transponders, and bills will be sent in the mail.
Toll rates range from $2-12, depending on the size of the vehicle and whether the driver has a RiverLink account and transponder. A driver in a passenger vehicle with a transponder will pay $2 to cross a tolled bridge. A driver in a passenger vehicle without a transponder will pay $4.
Drivers have the option of selecting a RiverLink local transponder or a RiverLink E-ZPass transponder. A RiverLink local transponder is free, one per registered vehicle. The small sticker adheres to the inside of the windshield, is non-transferable and works only on the Lewis and Clark, Lincoln and Kennedy bridges.
A RiverLink E-ZPass transponder is $15. It’s portable from vehicle to vehicle registered to a single account and works in all 16 E-ZPass states. All E-ZPass transponders are accepted by the RiverLink system.
Drivers can register additional license plates to their RiverLink E-ZPass transponders online at www.riverlink.com, by phone or in person at a customer service center.
Mounting Transponders
Drivers need to have their transponders properly mounted before the start of tolling. Transponders are placed on the inside of the windshield near the rearview mirror, as high and as central as possible. It may be placed on the driver side or passenger side.
Transponders should be mounted three inches away from any metal, tint, antenna or defroster.
Drivers should avoid extreme temperatures when mounting their transponders. During cold weather, drivers can warm their car for a few minutes before mounting their transponder.
Drivers Waiting for Transponders
Thousands of drivers have opened RiverLink accounts over the past several days. Not all drivers have received their transponders. If accounts have been processed and transponders have been assigned to licenses plates, drivers will receive the lowest rates until they receive their transponders.
License plates will be scanned and the transponder rate applied until transponders are delivered. Drivers must receive and properly mount their transponders before crossings count toward the frequent-user discount.
Drivers Who Need to Open Accounts
It’s not too late for drivers to open their RiverLink accounts. They will begin paying the lowest rates as soon as an account is processed, and a transponder is assigned to the license plate. The sooner accounts are opened, the faster savings will begin.
Drivers can open accounts online at www.RiverLink.com, by phone at 855-RIV-LINK or in person at one of two customer service centers. The website is the fastest option to open an account. It’s open 24 hours a day/7 days a week with no wait. Customers opening accounts online or by phone will have their transponders mailed to them.
More than 150,000 RiverLink transponders have been requested to date, including more than 125,000 RiverLink local transponders and nearly 28,000 RiverLink E-ZPass transponders. Nearly 67,000 families and more than 2,200 businesses have opened RiverLink accounts.
Just over 110,000 drivers are expected to use the tolled bridges each day.
Customer service centers are located at 400 E. Main St. in Louisville and 103 Quartermaster Ct. in Jeffersonville. The centers are open 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday – Friday. They are also open 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday.
With tolling starting on December 30, customer service centers and the RiverLink call center will be open, as normal, on Saturday, December 31 (8 a.m. – 2 p.m.) and Monday, January 2 (7 a.m. – 7 p.m.).
Drivers traveling in Louisville and Southern Indiana need to prepare for the start of tolling on three Ohio River bridges. Tolling on the Louisville – Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project is scheduled to begin Friday, December 30.
Tolled bridges include the two I-65 bridges connecting Downtown Louisville and Southern Indiana, the new Abraham Lincoln Bridge and the improved John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge. The new East End bridge connecting the Gene Snyder Freeway in Prospect, Ky. with State Road 265 in Utica, Ind. will also be tolled.
RiverLink is the name of the new, all-electronic tolling system that makes the project possible. There’s no stopping, no slowing, no lines and no coin machines. Toll rates range from $2-$12, depending on the size of vehicle and whether the driver has a RiverLink account and transponder.
Drivers with transponders will pay the lowest toll rates. Drivers can set up a prepaid RiverLink account to get a transponder. All E-ZPass transponders, including the I-PASS from Illinois and the Indiana Toll Road E-ZPass, will work with the RiverLink system. No further action is necessary.
Drivers without transponders will get bills in the mail, and pay higher toll rates. Drivers who do not pay their tolls will be charged a penalty and may face restrictions on vehicle registration until tolls and penalties are paid.
Opening a RiverLink Account
Drivers can open a personal account online at www.RiverLink.com, by phone at 855-RIV-LINK or in person at one of two RiverLink customer service centers. A personal account can include up to four vehicles, with a minimum balance of $20 to open the account. The account balance rolls over month to month.
The fastest way to open a RiverLink personal account is online. The website is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week with no wait. Transponders will be mailed to account holders, free of charge.
For businesses with more than four vehicles, the fastest and easiest way to open an account is by calling a specialized customer service representative at 855-RIV-LINK.
Choice of Transponders
A RiverLink local transponder is free, one per registered vehicle. The small sticker adheres to the inside of windshield, is non-transferable and will work only on tolled bridges between Louisville and Southern Indiana.
A RiverLink E-ZPass transponder is $15 per transponder. It’s mounted on the inside of the windshield, is portable from vehicle to vehicle registered to a single account and works in all 16 E-ZPass states (https://e-zpassiag.com/about-e-zpass/where-can-i-use-it).
The I-64 (Sherman Minton) and the US 31/Second Street (Clark Memorial) bridges across the Ohio River will not be tolled in connection with the project. Find more information at www.RiverLink.com.
The Louisville – Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project includes two new bridges and their approaches, an improved Kennedy Bridge and reconstruction of the Kennedy Interchange, where I-65, I-64 and I-71 come together in downtown Louisville. The new Abraham Lincoln Bridge carries six lanes of I-65 northbound traffic. The improved Kennedy Bridge carries six lanes of southbound traffic. The new East End bridge will connect the Gene Snyder Freeway in Prospect, Ky. with State Road 265 (Lee Hamilton Highway) in Utica, Ind.
Find more details on the Ohio River Bridges Project at www.kyinbridges.com.
Since the current Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, is running as Vice-President on the Republican ticket with Donald Trump, he is unable to run for re-election as Governor. A replacement candidate needed to be found.
22 members of the Indiana Republican State Committee held a meeting earlier this week to determine who would be the Republican candidate for Governor this year.The choice included big names, such as Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb, US Representative Susan Brooks, US Representative Todd Rokita and State Senator Jim Tomes.
The meeting lasted a few hours and the committee announced that Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb will be the candidate this election cycle. The announcement did not surprise many since Governor Pence endorsed Holcomb last week. Holcomb has not named a running mate for Lieutenant Governor yet, but he will be running against:
- John Gregg (Democrat) with Christina Hale
- Rex Bell (Libertarian) with Karl Tatgenhorst
- Adam Adkins (Write-in) – no running mate named at this time
- Christopher Stried (Write-in) – no running mate named at this time
Gregg also ran in 2012 against Pence. Pence narrowly won that election with 49.5% of the vote (Gregg had 46.6% and Libertarian candidate Rupert Boneham had 4%). Polls from earlier this year show that Pence and Gregg were nearly tied, but Pence did have a slightly lead in May. It is unclear how close Holcomb and Gregg are at this time.
Brooks and Rokita both had to remove their names from the ballots for the US House of Representatives, but both intend to seek re-election in their districts. Both are still eligible to be placed on the ballot in November.
The Bloomberg Kentuckiana index showed signs of area businesses recovering from the beating that they took following the stock market shakeup on news of Britain’s exit from the European Union – dubbed Brexit.
Stocks fell sharply across the board last Friday as investors heard news that leave votes had outnumbered remain votes, spurring uncertainty about currency valuations and changes to trade deals. Businesses tied to the Kentuckiana area did not escape the plunge.
The Bloomberg Kentuckiana Index is a price-weighted index that tracks companies either headquartered in Kentucky or Indiana, or having a large presence in the area. Each company has a minimum market capitalization of $15 million. The index was developed with a base value of 100 as of December 29, 1995. Index members include Kindred Healthcare, Humana, Churchill Downs, Lexmark, Ford, GE, Yum! Brands, Papa Johns, and Brown Foreman, among others.
The index closed at its recent peak of $451.51 last Thursday but then dove sharply when the markets opened on Friday with Brexit news. The dive continued on Monday as the index bottomed out at $425.34, which was still higher than lows seen as recently as February of this year.
Investors seemed to have settled down Tuesday and Wednesday as the index rebounded, lead higher by gains by Kindred, Cummins, Churchill Downs, CSX, and Ashland. Although BKYIN:IND is not back to pre-Brexit levels, two straight gains of positive movement are promising as the index climbs into the $430s.
For more information on the Bloomberg Kentuckiana Index, track it here.
Typically, the announcement of an influenza epidemic striking the United States would likely induce fear and panic across the ntionon. With this current epidemic, over 1000 patients in at least six states have been sick and at least 6 patients have died as a result of the virus. you may be asking yourself, why you have not heard of this epidemic? The answer is simple: the patients are dogs.
While pet owners may be not be aware that dogs can influenza, it is important to note that the strain of the virus that infects dogs does not infect human. In fact, the virus causing this epidemic is actually an avian flu that originated in China and Korea that has adapted to the canine respiratory system. The outbreak in the U.S. started in Chicago, IL and has been confirmed in New York, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana. While there has not been a confirmed case in Kentucky at the writing of this article, it is a highly contagious virus and spreads rapidly.
Symptoms of flu in dogs are very similar to the symptoms that humans experience: Runny nose, cough, and fever. As with humans, treatment is mostly supportive therapy and antibiotics are prescribed in the event of a secondary infection. There is a vaccine available, but it is not specific for this strain. Veterinarians are not sure how effective it will be. The vaccines is higher in cost than the more commonly recommended vaccines, such as rabies, kennel cough, and parvo. However, the cost of the treatment can total into the thousands depending on the hospital you use since the dog will need to be quarantined while being treated.
The disease can be fatal, especially in the very young and very old, since their immune systems are not working at full capacity. As mentioned previously, there have been over 1000 confirmed cases, but only six deaths. If you suspect that your family pet is sick with the flu, you will need to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian as soon as possible to confirm the presence of the virus.
More inforation can be located on the Center of Disease Control
Photo: Clark County Jail
Disturbing Details in Court Documents Include Possible Cannibalism
Graphic court documents filed at yesterday’s arraignment hearing detail the charges and probable cause against 33 year old Joseph Oberhansley. Oberhansley’s criminal history includes conviction for manslaughter and attempted murder in Utah stemming from the killing of his then-girlfriend and shooting of his mother. Those crimes put Oberhansley in prison for over 12 years before being paroled in 2012. More recently, he has been charged with multiple driving infractions such as speeding and driving on a suspended license, arrested for choking a patron of a bar and resisting arrest while naked in 2013 and then leading police on a low-speed chase months ago.
Oberhansley was free under a bond reduced from $25,000 to only $5,000, resulting in his release by posting a 10 percent payment of only $500, when he allegedly committed his latest series of criminal acts. The latest charges (warning – graphic descriptions) include three counts: the stabbing murder of ex-girlfriend, 46 year old Tammy Jo Blanton, abuse of a corpse by removing some of Blanton’s organs, and breaking and entering into Blanton’s residence.
Court proceedings and documents also indicate that Oberhansley may have eaten some of Blanton’s removed organs.
Are you ready to start paying to cross the Ohio River between Louisville and Southern Indiana?
The $2.3B Ohio River Bridges Project will result in tolls for drivers crossing the Kennedy Bridge – which will be turned into a southbound-only route, the new downtown bridge next to the Kennedy, and a new upriver Prospect bridge that connects with Utica, Indiana. Drivers won’t start paying tolls until 2016, but transportation officials are ready to choose a toll operator this week to begin implementing the new system.
Rather than manned tollbooths, the automated system will use in-car transponders to pay tolls from a pre-paid toll account. Cameras with license plate recognition will be used to mail toll bills to drivers without an account.
The six finalists managing the toll operations include the 3M Company, Portuguese-based Brisa Inovacao e Tecnologia, S.A., Austrian Kapsch TrafficCom IVHS Inc. – which was selected earlier this year to provide transponders for the toll system, French Sanef Operations America Inc., TransCore LP of Nashville, and Xerox State & Local Solutions, Inc.
The result of this selection process would be a move toward final selection of the operator, who would oversee camera installation, violation processing and managing the toll-operations center. The recommended operator would then need to be approved by the Indiana Finance Authority.
