ODOT will shut down I-75 in both directions through downtown Cincinnati for an entire weekend starting Sept. 25. The closure forces Montgomery, Blue Ash and Sycamore Township commuters onto alternate routes.

The shutdown runs from 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, through 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 28, weather permitting. Crews need the full interstate to install nine steel girders for the new Linn Street bridge over I-75, WKRC/Local 12 reported. Cranes will be positioned directly on the highway to move the beams onto newly constructed bridge piers.

Northbound I-75 will close at the U.S. 50 West exit (Exit 1D). Southbound traffic will be stopped at the Freeman Avenue exit (Exit 1F). Some entrance ramps, including those from Fort Washington Way, Fourth and Sixth streets, and the Western Hills Viaduct, will begin closing at 9 p.m. that Friday, two hours before the full shutdown. Southbound lane closures near the Norwood Lateral will also start before the interstate closes completely.

Detour routes

ODOT is steering northbound drivers to I-71 North from the I-71/I-75 split, then west on State Route 562 (the Norwood Lateral) to get around the closure. Southbound drivers can take the Norwood Lateral east to I-71 South before reconnecting with I-75 at the Brent Spence Bridge.

Heavy trucks should use I-275.

ODOT recommends the I-275 outerbelt for all through traffic not headed downtown. That loop runs directly through Montgomery, Blue Ash and Sycamore Township, meaning local roads could see heavier-than-usual truck and car traffic all weekend.

Part of a $4 billion corridor project

The girder installation is part of the $46.7 million Linn Street Reconstruction Project, itself a piece of the broader Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project. That corridor effort carries a price tag north of $4 billion, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Aug. 12. It includes rehabilitation of the 63-year-old Brent Spence Bridge, construction of a new companion bridge for I-71/75 traffic and improvements to about three miles of I-75 on the Ohio side.

ODOT representative Kathleen Fuller urged patience with the broader construction effort in July, when a separate set of ramp closures near the Brent Spence Bridge took effect. "The key is be patient and allow extra travel time," Fuller told Fox 19.

The new Linn Street bridge will include two driving lanes, bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides. Linn Street is expected to reopen to traffic in fall 2027, with the full reconstruction project scheduled for completion in spring 2029.

Drivers can check real-time conditions at OHGO.com during the closure weekend.