Half of backup has been cleared, motorists asked to avoid the area
COVINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 24, 2022) – The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Kentucky State Police continue to work to detour vehicles stalled on Interstate 71 North. Backed up vehicles are being turned around to travel south on I-71 north to reach Exit 62. Vehicles can then travel southbound on I-71 or go in either direction of US 127. One lane of I-71 South remains open but traffic is slow-moving.
It will take multiple hours to reroute vehicles. Seven miles of the 14-mile backup has been cleared South of US 127 between Mile Marker 55-62. The remaining backup is north of US 127. Officials continue to advise motorists to avoid the area. A statewide text message was sent alerting drivers to avoid I-71N yesterday evening.
Drivers in affected area are asked to call 911 if they are experiencing an emergency (i.e. running out of gas, losing heat in the vehicle or a medical emergency) Please provide your license plate number and make of your vehicle. The National Guard is doing wellness checks. Follow the @KYTCDistrict6 Twitter account for updates. Governor Andy Beshear will update Kentuckians during a virtual briefing at 10 a.m. EST to be streamed on Facebook and YouTube.