Dairy Del, a Louisville landmark, braces for the closure of I-65 and the impact on local traffic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - About a half mile from I-65, you would think Dairy Del, a Schnitzelberg walk-up ice cream landmark, would be insulated from the looming interstate shutdown.

But owner Wayne Madison said he has been feeling the squeeze for months.

“There’s no way for traffic to come from Old Louisville over to this side,” Madison said. “So, Germantown, Schnitzelberg, Merriweather, we’re kind of all shut off right now.”

Not far away, cranes rise into the air and barricades block underpasses at Hill and St. Catherine Streets.

People wanting to drive east to the Dairy Del no longer have a direct route to the Shelby Street location.

Instead of detouring their way around, Madison believes motorists are going elsewhere.

He finds it hard to predict what will happen when I-65 is closed.

“I don’t know,” Madison said. “I mean, I just think the street is going to be total gridlock because that’s one of the main thoroughfares from downtown to the airport, Freedom Hall, the other side of town, the southside.”

At the same location since 1955, the Dairy Del has likely never seen a summer like the one ahead.

But Madison and his employees will be serving their customers as always, not knowing what to expect.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Madison said. “We’ll see. We’ll see.”