PADUCAH, Ky. (June 23, 2020) — The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has approved a bid for the construction of a new U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge at Smithland in Livingston County. Project expected to be completed in 2023.
Jim Smith Contracting, of Grand Rivers, submitted a bid of $63,627,756 for the construction of a new continuous truss structure immediately downstream from the existing bridge.
In addition to being a regional transportation link, the Cumberland River Bridge is at about the halfway point of U.S. 60 as it travels through Livingston County, making it a critical part of local transportation connectivity for schools, law enforcement, and commerce.
“Modern transportation infrastructure is vital to the continued growth and progress of West Kentucky,” said Gov. Andy Beshear. “This new bridge over the Cumberland River will be an asset not just to the people of Livingston County but to the entire region for many years to come.”
“At a time when we at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet are concerned about the health and well-being of all of our fellow Kentuckians, we also are keenly aware that we must continue to build and maintain a modern, efficient highway system,” Kentucky Transportation Secretary Jim Gray said. “This bridge replacement project is important to the people of Livingston County and surrounding areas and KYTC is committed to its delivery.”
According to KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Kyle Poat, the New Cumberland River Bridge will be 80 percent federally funded with the state providing a 20 percent match. Initial work at the site will include a significant maintenance project on the existing 89-year-old structure.
“The general maintenance work on the existing bridge is to ensure we can maintain a high level of service through the three years of construction it will take to complete the new bridge,” Poat said.
The KYTC District 1 engineering staff will be meeting with engineers from Jim Smith Contracting in early-July to establish a schedule for both the maintenance work and the start of construction on the new bridge. The first visible work on the new bridge will be basic site preparation for an equipment assembly and construction supply marshaling area to allow excavation for pier footers.
Poat said it is possible the truss will be constructed off-site and floated to the new bridge by barge– much the way the steel arch structures were added to the Eggners Ferry Bridge and the U.S. 68 Lake Barkley Bridge at Canton.
“The New U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge at Smithland will have a continuous truss design similar to the U.S. 60 Tennessee River Bridge at Ledbetter,” Poat added. “It will have a 40-foot wide, two-lane deck with 12-foot driving lanes and 6-foot shoulders that will provide ample clearance for most farm equipment to cross without stopping oncoming traffic.”
The existing U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge at Smithland, also known as the Lucy Jefferson Lewis Memorial Bridge and the Smithland Bridge, is 1,817 feet long and was opened to traffic in 1931.
The mission of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is to provide a safe, efficient, environmentally sound and fiscally responsible transportation system that enhances the quality of life in Kentucky.
The cabinet maintains more than 27,000 miles of highway. It also oversees 57 public airports and 33 public transportation systems, licensure of 3.1 million drivers and the registration of 4 million vehicles per year.