Kentucky Transportation Cabinet • District 1

Lane restriction required for first five or six days of 10-day project

PADUCAH, Ky. (August 9, 2022) – The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) plans to restrict traffic to one lane on the U.S. 51 Ohio River “Cairo” Bridge between Kentucky and Illinois starting Monday, August 22, 2022.

This work zone lane restriction with alternating flow controlled by flaggers is to allow a detailed inspection of the bridge structure.  The work zone will be in place from approximately 8 a.m., CDT, to about 4 p.m., each day.  There will be a maximum 10 ft. load width restriction in this work zone.

Farmers and businesses with wide loads will be able to cross the bridge during daylight hours prior to the start of, or after the end of the daily inspection work.

The lane restriction is to facilitate the use of a UBIV (Under Bridge Inspection Vehicle) on the lower portion of the bridge structure is expected to be in place for about five days.  Once the UBIV portion of the inspection work is completed, the remainder of the inspection activity will be conducted by climbers with minimal impact on traffic flow.

KYTC District 1 will attempt to provide timely notice when work zone traffic restrictions change.  The target completion date for all inspection work on the U.S. 51 Ohio River “Cairo” Bridge is September 1, 2022.

The inspection crew will remain on the bridge during light rain.  However, inspectors will pull off the bridge should there be substantial rainfall or lightning.

Appropriate caution is required where equipment, flaggers, and inspection personnel are along the bridge deck in close proximity to traffic flow. Some minor delays are possible during the movement and placement of equipment to facilitate the inspection work.

The U.S. 51 Ohio River “Cairo” Bridge also carries U.S. 60 and U.S. 62 traffic across the Ohio River at U.S. 51 Kentucky mile point 7.372.

Also known as The Cairo Bridge, the structure carries approximately 5,800 vehicles across the Ohio River each day between Wickliffe, KY, and Cairo, IL.  About 35 percent of those vehicles are commercial trucks.

The Cairo Bridge immediately connects with the U.S. 60/U.S. 62 Mississippi River Bridge that connects Missouri and Illinois.  The east-west traffic on U.S. 60 and U.S. 62 combines with the north-south traffic on U.S. 51 to create a critical transportation link.

The U.S. 51 Ohio River Bridge opened to traffic on November 11, 1936.  Tolls were removed from the crossing on November 11, 1948, when the highway departments of Kentucky and Illinois took over maintenance of the structure.

The Cairo-Wickliffe Bridge is at Ohio River navigation mile point 980.4.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) are in the planning process for construction of a new bridge across the Ohio River.

For more info on planning for the new bridge, go to https://us51bridge.com/.

To get traffic advisories and alerts for KYTC District 1 counties via email please go to https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/KYTC/signup/13651. Click on the District 1 counties you regularly drive through, or on any of the specialty corridors you travel.  Please check your SPAM filtering to assure Gov Delivery is on your approved list.

Timely traffic advisories for the 12 counties of KYTC Highway District 1 are available by going to www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict1. You do not have to be a Facebook member to access this page.

Navigate traffic at goky.ky.gov, at waze.com, or with the WAZE App.

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