On July 26, 2002, the two governors of Kentucky and Indiana announced that the East End Bridge would be constructed, along with a new I-65 downtown span and a reconstructed Kennedy Interchange, where three interstates connect.

Construction of an exploratory tunnel under the historic east end property was to begin in summer 2007, but bids were 39% more than the state had expected.

Limited land acquisition began in 2004, with the number of homes taken by eminent domain expected to be higher because of development occurring in the route path.

Half of the Shadow Wood subdivision and two condominium buildings at Harbor of Harrods Creek in Jefferson County, Kentucky, were razed.

Former Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon said he could not wait for construction to begin, adding, "We'll finally be able to take down that sign at the end of Interstate 265 near the Clark Maritime Center that says 'No Bridge to Kentucky,'" he said to applause.

From spring 2005 to summer 2006, several hundred citizens attended a series of public meetings in Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana, and evaluated a range of bridge design options using 3D visualizations.

In February 2008, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet released a study saying that tolls would be a possible part of the new bridges, because there were insufficient federal funds for the $4.1 billion project.

The possibility of tolls was not met with a warm reception; Jeffersonville's city council quickly passed a resolution urging state and federal officials to find other ways to fund the bridges project.

The plan envisioned roughly half of the project's costs being financed through $1.00 tolls on the proposed I-65 (northbound) and I-265 and the existing I-65 (southbound) and I-64 Ohio River crossings in the Louisville area.

The Kentucky Public Transportation Infrastructure Authority officially approved of the Commonwealth joining the E-ZPass consortium across 15 states and the Canadian province of Ontario on July 29, 2015.

The bridge reopened shortly before midnight on February 17, 2012, almost two weeks ahead of a deadline imposed by both states for completion of repairs.

Criticism has largely centered around land acquisition and routing issues, as well as concerns that the Butchertown neighborhood would lose a significant portion of its historical infrastructure with its absorption into the reconfigured Kennedy Interchange.

The safety and cost effectiveness of the 1,720-foot (520 m) East End Tunnel under the Drumanard Estate, a 1920s-era property on the National Register of Historic Places was questioned.

The chief of the Harrods Creek, Kentucky, fire department, which would be first responder to any accident, expressed concern that the proposed tunnel would be considerably more dangerous to travel through and with fewer safety precautions.