News

Restrictions will impact Lincoln, Kennedy and Lewis and Clark bridges

Overnight lane restrictions are expected next week and the following week on the Lincoln and Kennedy bridges in downtown Louisville and the Lewis and Clark Bridge. The closures will allow crews to perform routine maintenance on tolling equipment.

Lane closures are scheduled between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Monday, Nov. 4 – Wednesday, Nov. 6

• Lincoln Bridge: I-65 North (three lanes and shoulder)

Thursday, Nov. 7

• Lewis and Clark Bridge: SR 265/KY 841 South (single-lane closures)

Friday, Nov. 8

• Lewis and Clark Bridge: SR 265/KY 841 North (single-lane closures)

Sunday, Nov. 10 and Monday, Nov. 11

• Kennedy Bridge: I-65 South (three lanes and shoulder)

Drivers should stay alert, watch for signage, and slow down in the work area. 

The actual starting date and duration may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen activities occur.

Will accommodate routine maintenance on tolling equipment

An overnight lane restriction is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 10 on the Lewis and Clark Bridge (SR 265/KY 841). The single-lane closure will allow crews to perform routine maintenance on tolling equipment.

The restriction is scheduled to begin around 8 p.m. Tuesday and end by 5 a.m. Wednesday. The closure will include one northbound lane (inside lane) and the inside shoulder on the bridge.

Drivers should stay alert, watch for signage, and slow down in the work area. 

The actual starting date and duration may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen activities occur.

Ensure all links are valid and point to RiverLink.com

To protect customers, RiverLink warns recipients of a text smishing attempt impersonating the tolling service for three bridges connecting Kentucky and Indiana. The text message includes a link and the sender is listed as “RiverLinks” or “Kentucky Toll Roads”. RiverLink is working to have any reported fraudulent websites removed.

Recipients are urged to closely review any text messages received and ensure all links are valid and pointing to RiverLink.com.

The text message is not from RiverLink and recipients are warned not to click the link that asks for personal information. RiverLink does not share toll charge notifications via text message, only low-balance and auto-replenishment reminders for customers with prepaid accounts. 

Anyone who may have clicked on a fraudulent link and provided any personally identifiable information should immediately contact their bank or credit card provider to secure their information and financial accounts.

Victims of SMS tolling text scams should file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and be sure to include the phone number from where the text originated and the website listed within the text.

Drivers without a prepaid account can check tolls owed at RiverLink.com by clicking the green “Pay Bill” button on the homepage and entering information under the “Pay Your Toll Bill” header. Drivers with a prepaid account can check crossings by logging in at RiverLink.com.

Will accommodate routine maintenance on tolling equipment

A daytime lane restriction is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 29 on the Lewis and Clark Bridge (SR 265/KY 841). The single-lane closure will allow crews to perform routine maintenance on tolling equipment.

The restriction is planned from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If the work is not completed, the lane closure will resume overnight Thursday to complete the work.

Drivers should stay alert, watch for signage, and slow down in the work area. 

The actual starting date and duration may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen activities occur.

Toll rates are updated every year

To ensure the operations and maintenance of the three bridges connecting Louisville and Southern Indiana, beginning July 1, 2024, new toll rates will be in effect. The annual rates are determined by a bi-state resolution established in 2013.

Rates will range from $2.61 for passenger cars to $15.61 for 5-axle+ trucks, depending on the size of the vehicle and whether the driver has a prepaid account.

Drivers in passenger vehicles with transponders and prepaid accounts in good standing save 50% ($2.61) per crossing. The easiest way to maintain a positive account balance is by choosing auto-replenishment and linking the account to a valid payment method.

Tolling is in place on the I-65 Abraham Lincoln Bridge, I-65 Kennedy Bridge and SR 265/KY 841 Lewis and Clark Bridge connecting Prospect, Kentucky, and Utica, Indiana.

Under the bi-state resolution, toll rates are adjusted annually by 2.5% unless the rate of inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) is higher. The CPI used to calculate this year’s increase was 3.4%.

Will accommodate routine maintenance on tolling equipment

Overnight lane closures are expected tonight on the Abraham Lincoln Bridge in downtown Louisville. The closures will allow crews to perform routine maintenance on tolling equipment.

Lane closures are scheduled between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Thursday, June 6

• Lincoln Bridge: I-65 North (two outside lanes and outside shoulder)

Drivers should stay alert, watch for signage, and slow down in the work area. 

The actual starting date and duration may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen activities occur.

Continued improvements remain top priority for Kentucky, Indiana

RiverLink customers are seeing significant improvements in receiving the help they need when reaching out for assistance. A few milestones that reflect the improvements were recently seen including when callers had no wait time during periods this past Thursday, May 23. The average wait time last week (week of May 20) was just over 2 minutes, and the average wait time for the previous week (week of May 13) was just over one minute.

“We are continuing to move in the right direction,” said Amanda Spencer, assistant state highway engineer with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. “Improving the system and the customer experience remains a top priority for both Kentucky and Indiana to ensure customer needs and expectations are being met since transitioning to a new provider. As we make those improvements, it’s important for customers to know the help they need is available.”

RiverLink transitioned to a new provider, Electronic Transaction Consultants, LLC (ETC), in September 2023. Invoicing was held from April to August 2023 to prepare for the transition. Catching up with invoicing and responding to extremely high customer service needs led to a series of challenges.

“Challenges are expected when transitioning to a new provider, but the timeframe and scope surpassed the expectations of the states and customers,” said Matt Fulkerson, tolling operations director for the Indiana Department of Transportation. “We know customers have been frustrated by this process. We appreciate the patience of customers during this time, and we are committed to continued improvements.”

Improving Response Times
Significant improvements have been seen in call response times, and customers are increasingly seeing shorter hold times as they contact RiverLink customer service. Some response times were nearly an hour in January. The states stepped in early this year and invested $3.3 million dollars to immediately add more customer service representatives and to improve compensation for workers at the new local call center and RiverLink Walk-Up Centers.

The average speed to answer a call has been improving each month, with an average speed to answer of 19 seconds on Thursday, May 23. Hold times are improving as more calls are answered by representatives.

There are currently an average of 80 agents answering calls every day.

“We’re encouraged by the improvements and want customers to know help is more readily available than it was weeks ago,” Spencer said. “We continue to strive for even more progress.”

Call wait times will always fluctuate depending on the time of day and day of the month. Monday is typically the busiest day of the week, and early morning, lunch hour and early evening are usually the busiest windows. Sharing the news of improved wait times will likely lead to more calls and may increase wait times, but it’s important for customers to know about positive trends in in this area.

Registration Holds
The states do not plan to start implementing vehicle registration holds any time prior to late this year. Registration holds were not implemented following the transition to the new provider to ensure customer needs had stabilized. When implemented, registration holds can be placed after a toll is unpaid after at least four monthly bills. Each bill includes language about additional fees and the possibility of a registration hold after a fourth unpaid bill.

“Registration holds are an important enforcement tool to help ensure all drivers enjoying the benefits of the tolled bridges are paying their fair share,” Fulkerson said. “However, our focus remains on improving customer service prior to reimplementing.”

No timetable has been set to begin implementing registration holds, but significant notice will be provided to customers.

Will accommodate removal of older tolling equipment

Overnight lane closures are expected the next two weeks near the Lewis and Clark, Kennedy and Lincoln bridges. The closures will allow crews to remove cameras and other equipment used by the previous toll service provider. The overhead gantries will remain in place. Some work will also be performed on signage in the area.

All lane closures are scheduled to take place at night between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. The closures are planned for the following dates and locations:

Sunday, April 14 and Monday, April 15

• Lewis and Clark Bridge: SR 265/KY 841 North (single-lane closures)

Monday, April 15 and Tuesday, April 16

• Lewis and Clark Bridge: SR 265/KY 841 South (single-lane closures)

Wednesday, April 17 and Thursday, April 18

• Kennedy Bridge: I-65 South (three inside lanes and shoulder)

Friday, April 19

• Kennedy Bridge: I-65 South (three outside lanes and shoulder)

Sunday, April 21 and Monday, April 22

• Lincoln Bridge: I-65 North (three inside lanes and shoulder)

Tuesday, April 23

• Lincoln Bridge: I-65 North (three outside lanes and shoulder)

Wednesday, April 24 – Friday, April 26

• I-71 North near the Lincoln Bridge (outside lane and shoulder to replace signage)

Drivers should stay alert, watch for signage, and slow down in the work area. 

The actual starting date and duration may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen activities occur.

Overnight lane closures will take place between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Overnight lane closures are scheduled beginning Wednesday, January 31 near the Lewis and Clark, Kennedy and Lincoln bridges. Closures near toll gantries will allow for routine maintenance of tolling equipment.

The closures are planned for the following dates and locations:

Wednesday, Jan. 31 – Thursday, Feb. 1:

• Lewis and Clark Bridge (SR 265/KY 841, both directions): Alternating inside and outside lane and shoulder closures

Friday, Feb. 2 – Monday, Feb. 5:

• Kennedy Bridge (I-65 South): Alternating inside and outside three lanes and shoulder
• Lincoln Bridge (I-65 North): Alternating inside and outside three lanes and shoulder

Tuesday, Feb. 6:

• Court Avenue (Exit 0) in Indiana

Closures are expected nightly between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Drivers should be alert, watch for signage, and slow down in the work area.  All ramps will be open.

The actual starting date and duration may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen activities occur.

More competitive pay offered for local customer service representatives

The Joint Board for the Louisville — Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project has approved a Change Order designed to improve customer service for drivers using the tolled bridges. It includes temporarily adding immediate customer care support with dozens of additional representatives answering calls and higher pay for local customer service representatives to build and retain the team at the new local call center.

“Transitioning to a new tolling system and resuming invoicing has led to a large spike in customer service needs, and we’re working hard to answer that demand,” said Amanda Spencer, assistant state highway engineer with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. “We know this will not be an immediate fix, but it’s a big step in the right direction. We appreciate our customers’ patience during this transition period.”

In addition to the local customer call center, calls are being answered at a temporary call center with experience in tolling needs. Global Agility Solutions is providing up to 50 additional representatives to answer calls during this high-volume period. The Joint Board will pay up to $2.3 million over 9 months for the effort. Additional agents started taking calls late last week.

In addition, hourly rates are being increased to help retain local customer service representatives. The Joint Board will reimburse Electronic Transaction Consultants, the new toll service provider, an additional $8.50/hour for customer service representatives to offer more competitive wages to help retain workers locally. That includes a pay increase of up to $5/hour. Additional dollars are for overhead costs.

“The states were committed to building a local call center when we changed providers, and we’re just as committed to building and retaining a quality team to assist our customers,” said Matt Fulkerson, tolling operations director for the Indiana Department of Transportation. “The competitive labor market is still reacting to high inflation rates, and we want to invest in local jobs. We value our representatives and the assistance they’re offering our customers.”

The Joint Board is investing just over $1 million to supplement the hourly rates of customer service representatives. The increase is only for employees at the local call center and the local RiverLink Walk-Up Centers.

ETC will also provide an on-site Business Systems Analyst to oversee training, system and data analysis and quality assurance.

High Customer Service Needs

As anticipated, high customer service needs have followed the September transition to a new toll service provider. Those needs increased significantly when invoicing resumed late last year. Invoicing was on hold from April 2023 – September 2023 during the transition to a new toll service provider.

Invoicing slowly resumed in late 2023 with first monthly bills for April – September crossings distributed by the end of 2023. First monthly bills with September – current crossings are expected to be up to date by the end of February 2024.

With the high number of inquiries expected to continue and the current backlog to work through, it will take time for hold times to return to normal levels. Patience is appreciated, and assistance will be provided as quickly as possible.

As always, the fastest, easiest and most cost-efficient way to cross a tolled bridge is with a prepaid account and transponder. With a prepaid account in good standing, you’ll pay the lowest toll rates and never receive an invoice. Drivers can visit this page to set up a prepaid account.

Joint Board

The Joint Board includes transportation and finance leaders from Indiana and Kentucky. It was created to help facilitate the financing and construction of the Ohio River Bridges Project and has long-term oversight and management responsibility of the project.