CINCINNATI — Greater Cincinnati drivers face a double disruption this weekend, with southbound Interstate 75 closing for 54 hours at Freeman Avenue and a presidential rally across the river in Northern Kentucky expected to tie up traffic through Saturday.
Transportation officials have been blasting out traffic alerts ahead of the weekend, warning that delays are inevitable, alternative routes are recommended, and anyone who does not need to travel through the affected areas may be better off staying clear.
The highway closure runs from 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16 through 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19. Southbound I-75 will close from Freeman Avenue to the West Eighth and Ninth Street entrance ramp, while the I-75 south entrance from the Western Hills Viaduct closes earlier, at 9 p.m. Friday. Access to Freeman itself will be maintained.
Crews are using the closure to install girders for the rebuilt Linn Street bridge over I-75. The old bridge, between West Court and West Eighth streets, came down in April as part of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project. Its replacement, due to reopen in fall 2027, will carry two driving lanes instead of five, with bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides, and is intended to better connect the West End and Queensgate neighborhoods.
The Linn Street work also clears the way for the project’s centerpiece, a new companion bridge over the Ohio River. The original bridge included a pier standing in the path of that work. The overall Brent Spence corridor effort is priced at more than $4.4 billion and officially began in May.
Drivers looking to get around the interstate closure are being pointed to the Norwood Lateral, State Route 562, east to Interstate 71, or through surface streets including Freeman Avenue, Mehring Way, and Elm and Third streets to re-enter I-71 and I-75 south. If weather or other problems postpone the closure, officials say it will be rescheduled for Nov. 6 through 9.
Across the river, President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. Saturday at a midterm rally at Truist Arena at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, about seven miles south of downtown. Officials warned of tie-ups from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. near the Interstate 275 and Interstate 471 interchange, with the heaviest disruption expected between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., and rolling motorcade closures are likely.
On the NKU campus, several parking lots and garages have been closed for the event, and University Drive will close from Johns Hill Road to Kenton Drive from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Officials recommend checking social media and navigation apps for real-time conditions before traveling near the university or through downtown Cincinnati this weekend.
