PADUCAH, Ky. (May 14, 2019) — The U.S. 45 Ohio River “Brookport” Bridge in Paducah is expected to remain closed for at least 30 days while a contractor continues a maintenance and repair project. Additional work added to ongoing maintenance and repair project
Crews working on concrete pier cap and bearing pad repairs consulted Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) inspectors and determined that additional work will be required on one of the main span piers.
“As ongoing maintenance and repair work has continued, our bridge engineers have worked with the contractor to add to the scope of the current contract,” KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Kyle Poat said. “The additional work will require the contractor to jack up the end of one of the main truss spans, necessitating at least a 30-day closure.”
The bridge was initially closed to vehicles on May 8 when illegal truck traffic created safety issues for workers.
“Closing the bridge to all traffic may allow the contractor to complete some phases of the work more quickly,” said Poat. “Performing this additional maintenance now should help reduce the need for additional work later.”
Motorists who normally travel the bridge between Kentucky and Illinois should continue to detour via the Interstate 24 Ohio River Bridge.
The U.S. 45 Ohio River “Brookport” Bridge, also known as the Irvin S. Cobb Bridge, has an 8 ft. maximum vehicle width restriction that prohibits most commercial trucks from crossing. Poat indicated KYTC would look at taking a more aggressive approach to keeping commercial trucks off the 90-year-old structure.
“This bridge has served us well. To assure it continues to be part of our transportation infrastructure well into the future, we plan to partner with law enforcement to find better ways to enforce the 8-foot maximum load width,” Poat added.
Judy C. Harp Company, Inc., is the prime contractor on the $183,902 bridge maintenance and repair project. The project has a target completion date of Aug. 1, 2019, which may be subject to change due to the additional work. In addition to concrete pier cap repairs and bearing work, the existing contract includes repairs to the bridge’s grated metal decking.
The 10-span bridge carries approximately 5,000 vehicles across the river each day between Paducah, Ky., and Brookport, Ill., and was opened to traffic in 1929.
Photo Courtesy Vikas Patel and Paducah Drone