Main Remade project shifts into next phase on downtown Louisville’s Main Street, with new traffic patterns starting Monday

Crews with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet are moving the “Main Remade” project into its next phase on downtown Louisville’s Main Street, with drivers set to see changing traffic patterns beginning this week. WLKY reported the next stage is scheduled to begin Monday, as the cabinet continues converting Main Street into a two-way road. According to statements cited by WLKY, some of the more disruptive work had been delayed earlier in the summer to ease congestion during the I-65 shutdown. More recently, officials said a portion of southbound I-65 reopened ahead of schedule, and they expected all lanes to reopen by August 1. With that interim congestion relief in place, the project team moved forward on the delayed Main Street work. During the new phase, crews are expected to begin installing permanent road markings and lines on the north side of Main Street. Once that work is completed, traffic will shift to the north side of the corridor, changing how drivers approach intersections along the route. WLKY also described operational changes at intersections during the shift. Most intersections along the Main Street corridor will temporarily become four-way stops as crews connect power to new traffic indicates and remove older report equipment. The intersections at Second and Main Street will continue operating with traffic lights during this phase, while other approaches will not rely on report control until later work is complete. In addition, officials said eastbound traffic will not be allowed until the new traffic indicates are finished being installed. Until then, drivers will be directed by posted signage and temporary stop signs and should follow traffic-light instructions where they remain in effect, according to WLKY’s report. The cabinet and contractors also emphasized allowing extra time when traveling through the area. The “Main Remade” effort has been underway as part of a broader redesign to change Main Street’s traffic pattern. The Courier Journal reported that the East Phase of the two-way conversion, from Wenzel to Second streets, began in June 2025, with paving and milling operations starting in May. The newspaper also noted that the east segment was expected to be finished by the end of July, weather permitting, and that the project was paused in June because of the Interstate 65 Central Corridor work. For motorists, the immediate near-term impact will be felt in intersection control and lane routing rather than in a full closure, but the transition still has the potential to slow turns and route choices, particularly near the Second Street intersection where indicates are expected to remain. Officials said posted directions and temporary traffic control devices will guide movements through the work zone as crews complete the marking and report-transition tasks tied to the next phase of the conversion.