I-65 Truck Accident Hotspots

Interstate 65 runs about 137 miles through Kentucky, from the Tennessee state line south of Bowling Green to the Ohio River at Louisville, where the Abraham Lincoln Bridge carries northbound traffic and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge carries southbound traffic. It passes Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, and Louisville and is the primary north-south trucking corridor in the state. Truck accident risk on I-65 concentrates where heavy freight meets merging local traffic, and the interchange with the most accidents in the Louisville region is on I-65.

Louisville Urban Segment

The Louisville segment sits at the north end of the Kentucky route, where mile markers run from the Gene Snyder Freeway (I-265) at exit 125 to the downtown interchange with I-64 and I-71 near mile 137. Mile markers on I-65 count up from the Tennessee line, so Louisville has the highest numbers on the route.

I-65, I-64, and I-71 Kennedy Interchange

The Kennedy Interchange in downtown Louisville, known locally as Spaghetti Junction, is where I-65 meets I-64 and I-71 at the foot of the Ohio River bridges. Multiple entrance and exit ramps converge in a compact space, creating weaving conflicts, short merge distances, and lane changes at speed. The interchange was rebuilt as part of the Ohio River Bridges Project, which also added the parallel Abraham Lincoln Bridge.

I-65 and I-264 Watterson Expressway Interchange

South of downtown at exit 131, I-65 meets the Watterson Expressway (I-264). The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s I-65/I-264 Interchange Planning Study states that this interchange has the highest number of accidents in the Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency region. The study describes three ramps that must merge into two lanes in a short distance, with queues backing onto northbound I-65, and a loop ramp with regular slow traffic and heavy congestion. The firm’s Watterson Expressway accident page covers that corridor.

Bullitt and Hardin County Corridor

South of the Jefferson County line, I-65 crosses Bullitt County, a growing suburban area with interchanges including KY 61 (Preston Highway) at Lebanon Junction, exit 105. Traffic speeds change in this stretch as the interstate moves from urban to rural driving, which puts slower local traffic and through trucks in the same lanes.

In Hardin County, three parkway and highway connections sit within a few miles of each other near Elizabethtown: the Western Kentucky Parkway with US 31W and KY 61 at exit 91, the Bluegrass Parkway at exit 93, and US 62 at exit 94. Trucks entering and leaving I-65 for those east-west routes add merging freight traffic to the interstate’s through volume.

Bowling Green Segment

The Bowling Green segment in Warren County carries traffic to I-165 (the former William H. Natcher Parkway) at exit 20, US 231 (Scottsville Road) at exit 22, and KY 446 at exit 28, the exit that serves the National Corvette Museum near General Motors’ Corvette assembly plant. Manufacturing and distribution traffic in Bowling Green joins I-65 through those interchanges.

Commercial Truck Records on I-65

I-65 is part of the National Network for large trucks, which includes the Interstate Highway System and was set up under the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982. Truck accidents on I-65 are more likely to produce severe injuries than passenger vehicle accidents at the same speeds because of the weight difference between the vehicles.

When a commercial carrier is involved, the investigation reaches past the driver to carrier qualification records, hours-of-service logs, electronic logging device data, and maintenance records. Under 49 CFR 395.8(k), a motor carrier must keep records of duty status and supporting documents for six months. Carriers and insurers that have notice of a potential claim have a duty to preserve that evidence, and destroying it after notice can support a spoliation claim. The firm’s page on I-65 accidents in Kentucky covers the corridor more broadly. Statewide truck crash claims start with Kentucky truck accident lawyers.

Work Zone Accidents

An I-65 accident in a construction zone can add defendants beyond the truck driver and carrier, including the construction company, the project supervisor, or the government entity responsible for the project. Kentucky reported 1,223 work zone accidents in 2024, with 298 injuries and 7 fatalities, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Distracted driving contributed to 41% of those accidents.

Reduced speed limits apply in work zones. When inadequate signage, lane markings, or barrier placement contributed to an accident, the parties responsible for the work zone can share liability. Other high-volume routes are covered on the page about the most dangerous roads in Louisville.