JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) — Once the East End Bridge opens, people on both sides of the river will have a lot more options, especially the people behind a multi-million-dollar River Ridge project. It will be waiting at the first exit when drivers cross the bridge.
And people on the Indiana side of the Ohio River believe that’s going to be a major game-changer.
“The game is now over. We have won,” Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore said.
Mayor Moore said this weekend the East End Bridge will be Kentuckiana’s MVP.
“The economic boom that is going to come from this East End Bridge is going to be something like we’ve never seen before.”
Right now, crews are putting the finishing touches on the bridge, and it is scheduled to open to traffic on Sunday.
“This will be the biggest historical economic impact of anything in our lifetimes,” Mayor Moore said.
And when that happens, Mayor Moore says the 6,000-acre River Ridge development will be one of the biggest winners because people in Louisville’s east end will have easy access.
“That’s why it is attractive to us, because we see an opportunity to open our doors to some families who may want to come over and check us out.”
“We fought for this location for many years, and we are just glad that we got it,” Sara Vonallmen said.
Vonallmen is general manager of three Subway locations, including the one in River Ridge. She said with the bridge opening soon, it was worth the fight to get the River Ridge spot.
“We’ve actually been looking at this location for years, and we knew the growth that was coming to this location.”
Meanwhile, it could be a stretch, but Mayor Moore even thinks the bridge might help his city do something Louisville has only dreamed of doing.
“I love having that partnership, but J. Bruce Miller may not be the only one in this community chasing an NBA team,” he said.
He’s referencing Louisville attorney J. Bruce Miller, who has been trying for years to bring an NBA franchise to Louisville.
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