Over the past 4-5 years, event traffic from Louisville Mega Cavern has made our neighborhood unsafe. Streets like Illinois, Trevilian, and Poplar Level are gridlocked Thursday-Saturday evenings. Residents can't access their homes, emergency vehicles are delayed, and delivery services are block completely. We've raised concerns before - nothing changed. We need action now.

What we're demanding:

• Traffic officers (not security guards) at Illinois + Trevilian, Trevilian + Poplar Level, Russell, and Grenade from 2-11 PM on weekends
• A shuttle program from Freedom Hall to reduce vehicle volume and emissions
• One-way conversion of Illinois Avenue for residential access
• Ticket caps during peak hours
• Guaranteed access for emergency services, deliveries, and rideshare during events
• Traffic officers on Taylor Avenue Thursday - Saturday 2-10 PM for exiting the event

This petition will be delivered to Charles Park (EVP of the Mega Cavern), Josie Raymond (Metro Council District 10), and LMPD. We're asking for a meeting within 30 days and a written response within 14 days to implement these safety measures.

Neighbor Video Links:

Mega Cavern Traffic 1
Mega Cavern Traffic 2
Mega Cavern Traffic 3
Mega Cavern Traffic 4

You can read the full letter below:

I am writing on behalf of a growing coalition of residents and business owners in the neighborhoods surrounding the Louisville Mega Cavern. Over the past four to five years, as event attendance at the Mega Cavern has increased, our community has experienced a steady and serious decline in traffic safety, residential accessibility, and quality of life. We are reaching out to you directly because previous attempts to address these issues through intermediary channels have not resulted in meaningful action, and conditions have only continued to worsen.

We understand that the Mega Cavern is an important attraction for Louisville and that its success benefits the city. Our goal is not to hinder that success but to find workable solutions that allow the cavern to operate while protecting the safety and livability of the surrounding neighborhood. We believe these objectives are not mutually exclusive, and we are committed to working collaboratively toward that end.

During peak event hours—particularly Thursday through Saturday between approximately 2:00 PM and 11:00 PM—neighborhood streets including Illinois, Trevilian, and Poplar Level become heavily congested with event-related traffic. This congestion has created dangerous conditions for residents, pedestrians, and motorists alike. Emergency vehicle access has been compromised. Residents have been unable to enter or exit their own streets nor have they been able to have family visit during these times. Delivery services, taxi and rideshare drivers, and food delivery couriers have been unable to reach neighborhood addresses during these periods. These are not occasional inconveniences; they are recurring, predictable, and preventable.

Concerns have been raised before through available channels. To date, no substantive changes have been implemented, and the situation has continued to deteriorate with each event season.

Requested Actions

We are requesting that the following measures be implemented in coordination with Louisville Metro Police Department, Louisville Metro Government, and Mega Cavern operations:

1. Intersection Traffic Control During Peak Hours A minimum of two to three officers with traffic wands actively directing traffic, security guards are inefficient, be stationed at the intersections of Illinois & Trevilian and Trevilian & Poplar, and at least one officer at Russell & Grenade, from 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM on weekends, to actively direct traffic and maintain a safe flow.

2. Off-Site Shuttle Service Establishment of a shuttle program transporting event attendees from Freedom Hall to the Mega Cavern. This would reduce vehicle volume on residential streets, improve emergency access, and lower emissions in the neighborhood—benefiting both residents and event attendees. Lights Under Louisville has been compared to the Derby; this is an irrelevant comparison considering LMPD officers (not security) are standing in and actively directing traffic, in addition to their shuttle service. 

3. Illinois Avenue Access Restrictions Implementation of controlled access on Illinois Avenue, including a cap on the number of vehicles permitted to enter at one time to ensure residential access, and conversion of Illinois to one-way traffic (inbound only) to eliminate two-way congestion on a street not designed to handle it.

4. Taylor Avenue Traffic Control Strict traffic enforcement and control on Taylor Avenue outbound, in addition to the Watterson Exchange, Thursday through Saturday between 2:00 PM and 10:00 PM, to manage event departure and prevent gridlock on surrounding residential streets.

5. Weekend Ticket Sales Caps Implementation of a cap on ticket sales, particularly on weekends, to ensure that event attendance does not exceed what the surrounding infrastructure can safely accommodate.

6. Guaranteed Access for Essential Services Protocols to ensure that emergency services, delivery vehicles, taxi and rideshare services, and food delivery couriers are able to access neighborhood addresses at all times during event windows. Currently, these services are being denied passage entirely, which creates significant hardship for residents and local businesses.

Request for Response and Meeting

We are requesting a written response to these proposals within 14 days of the date of this letter, and we would like to schedule a meeting within 30 days to discuss implementation. We are prepared to bring neighborhood representatives, affected business owners, and relevant city officials to that meeting.

We are also actively gathering additional support through neighborhood canvassing—both residential and commercial—and will include a signature list with this letter as endorsements are collected.

We genuinely believe that these measures represent reasonable, practical solutions that protect both our community and the Mega Cavern's ability to operate successfully. We hope you share that view and will engage with us in good faith to implement changes that are long overdue.

We look forward to your response.