Interstate 264 ( Kentucky ) The Henry Watterson Expressway , known as the Shawnee Expressway west of US 31W , is one of two Interstate Highways in the United States designated as Interstate 264 ( abbreviated I-264 ) . It is a short highway ( 23 miles or 37km long ) that runs an open circle around central Louisville , Kentucky . The highway begins four miles west of downtown at I-64 just east of the Sherman Minton Bridge which links Southern Indiana with Kentucky as it crosses the Ohio River . The interstate ends approximately six miles northeast of Louisville , where it connects to I-71 . History East-bound I-264 on the approach to I-64 and Shelbyville Road exits In 1948 , a bypass was built between Shelbyville Road and Dixie Highway in Louisville , as a relocation of US 60 . It was incorporated into the Interstate Highway System in 1956 . The highway was completed in 1974 , and in 1984 the road from I-65 east to I-71 was named after the journalist and editor Henry Watterson . The designation US 60 was dropped in that same year . The western segment from I-65 to I-64 northwest of downtown Louisville was opened in segments from 1970 to August of 1974 and is often referred to as the Shawnee Expressway . Watterson Expressway Reconstruction ( 1984-1995 ) The Watterson Expressway underwent a major reconstruction effort that began in 1984 . The vintage freeway had outlived its useful purpose and had numerous characteristics that defined it as a blight on Louisville : deteriorating overpasses , buckling pavement , deficient and too closely spaced interchanges , and rampant congestion . Dozens of bridges were reconstructed and widened , and the majority of the interchanges were redesigned and rebuilt from the ground up from Dixie Highway east to Shelbyville Road . The entire highway reconstruction project was completed in 1995 . A typical deficient interchange along I-264 was the I-65 , Kentucky Exposition Center and Louisville International Airport exit . Before the reconstruction , two cloverleafs with no collector and distributor lanes existed and posed serious weaving issues . The interchange today has been rebuilt and features numerous flyovers and collector and distributor lanes . Shawnee Expressway Reconstruction ( 2003-2004 ) The segment of I-264 from I-65 to the northwest I-64 interchange opened in segments from 1970 to August of 1974 and received no more than emergency or spot patching . After several years of planning , in early 2003 , the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet began a rehabilitation project on this segment of interstate highway stretching from the Dixie Highway interchange northwest to just east of Bank Street . A concrete surface several inches thick was constructed on the mainline and access ramps , a new median barrier was formed , new lighting fixtures were installed , 37 bridges were rehabilitated , and 380 new roadway signage was posted and all guardrails were replaced as part of the 7.6 mile project . In addition , the segment from River Park Drive to I-64 , which was only two lanes , was widened to three lanes . No major ramp or interchange modifications were needed . The highway reconstruction project cost approximately $ 66 million and required 18 months of labor . About 70 , 000 vehicles a day use the portion of Interstate 264 near Dixie Highway and about 40 , 000 daily use the segment near its western terminus with I-64 . Trivia Louisville is one of few U.S. cities with two interstate highways serving as inner and outer beltways . I-264 is Louisville 's inner beltway and the later constructed I-265 , the Gene Snyder Freeway , is Louisville 's outer beltway . References The Courier-Journal ( Louisville , KY ) . 23 August 2002 . Millennium Highway . H.B. Elkins . . Web on a Stick . Darren Stuart Embry . . Further reading Kleber , John E. , et al. ( editor ) ( 2000 ) . The Encyclopedia of Louisville . University Press of Kentucky . ISBN 0813121000 . External links Interstate-Guide.com - Interstate 264 ( KY ) page This article relating to the Interstate Highway System is a stub . Please help Wikipedia by expanding it .  This Louisville -related article is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it . edit Auxiliary routes of Interstate 64 I-164 Indiana I-264 Kentucky - Virginia I-464 Virginia I-564 Virginia I-664 Virginia Categories : U.S. Interstate Highway stubs | Louisville stubs | Interstate Highways in Kentucky | Three-digit Interstate Highways | Transportation in Louisville John E. , et al. ( editor ) Kleber 2000 The Encyclopedia of Louisville University Press of Kentucky ISBN 0813121000 64 