Bullitt’s explosive growth to continue

July 5, 2016

 

Since 2003, there has been an explosion of development along the I-65 corridor in Bullitt County. There have been 79 new location and expansion announcements since 2003, resulting in more than 7,000 new jobs and an investment of more than $600 million in the community. That includes fulfillment and distribution centers for big-name companies like Zappos, TSI/Ebay, Linens N Things, Johnson & Johnson, Best Buy and others, as well as numerous manufacturers, warehouses and business services companies.

The completion of the Ohio River Bridges Project will likely help that trend continue, Epperly-Karem said.

Industrial and business parks in Bullitt County will likely continue to attract distribution and light manufacturing firms that can take advantage of the sites’ proximities to I-65, UPS WorldPort and two metropolitan areas (Louisville and Elizabethtown), the economic impact study concluded.

John Snider, executive director of the Bullitt County Economic Development Authority, is more cautious in his expectations for growth as a result of the bridges project.

“The overall impact may not be seen for several years and it will be driven by the cost of tolls, traffic flow, employee traffic patterns and destination of final product,” he said. “These issues may take shape in the thought process of industry as well as employment recruitment.”

Companies will face questions such as, “How many times will my trucks need to cross the bridge each day?” and “Can I recruit employees from the other side of the river with toll costs as well as delays of traffic?” Snider said.

A bit skeptical, but still optimistic, he concluded: “Both sides of the river are very hot today, and we hope this market continues to grow,” he said. n

Lorie Hailey is a correspondent for The Lane Report. She can be reached at editorial@lanereport.com.