Southbound I-75 will shut down completely near downtown Cincinnati starting at 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, forcing Sharonville, Springdale, Evendale and Woodlawn commuters onto detour routes through Monday, Oct. 19, weather pending.

The Ohio Department of Transportation said the closure at the Freeman Avenue exit (Exit 1F) will last until 5 a.m. Oct. 19, according to WLWT. Contractors will use the time to install girders for the new Linn Street overpass bridge, between W. Eighth and W. Court streets.

The closure starts Friday night.

The ramp from the Western Hills Viaduct to I-75 south will close at 9 p.m. Oct. 16, two hours before the full shutdown.

ODOT Cincinnati confirmed the closure and ramp timing on X on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Detour routes

ODOT is directing through traffic from I-75 south to State Route 562 (the Norwood Lateral) to I-71 south. Southbound drivers can reconnect with I-75 at the Brent Spence Bridge, according to Local 12.

Local traffic between the Norwood Lateral and the Freeman Avenue exit will be maintained. ODOT said there will be no signed detours via local streets.

Heavy trucks not headed downtown should use the I-275 outerbelt, ODOT said.

$46.7 million bridge project

The Oct. 16-19 closure is the latest in a series of weekend shutdowns for the $46.7 million Linn Street Reconstruction Project, part of the broader Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project. A similar full closure took place the weekend of Sept. 25-28.

Cranes must be positioned on the interstate to move steel girders and set them on newly constructed bridge piers. 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. The full project is scheduled for completion in spring 2029.

Trucking impact

Ahead of September’s closure, Jack Wardle, general manager of K.E. Warehouse, a Cincinnati bonded warehouse and trucking operation, warned in a WCPO report that the shutdowns slow operations and cut into deliveries. "Your idle time, so your fuel cost is going to go up because it's more miles …" Wardle said.

Drivers heading south through the corridor the weekend of Oct. 16-19 should plan extra time and check ODOT's traffic alerts before leaving.