Smithland Bridge on schedule; could begin carrying traffic in April

The new Cumberland River Bridge at Smithland is still on schedule and could begin carrying traffic in late April or early May.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet engineers had hoped to move traffic over ahead of the original timeframe, but a crane needed for the demolition of the old bridge was still being utilized on another project.

KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Kyle Poat said that the crane delay would mean demolition would interfere with ospreys that nest on the old bridge. 

“That pushed the demolition process for the old bridge into the timeline that ospreys will arrive at their nest on the old bridge and start laying eggs. That means we’ll now have to wait for the young ospreys to hatch and start flying – maybe sometime in June. If we can’t beat the ospreys, we have time to complete much more of the work on the new bridge before transferring traffic.”

Poat said the osprey usually arrive around the 15th of March.

The additional time before moving traffic will allow all of the surface work on the new bridge to be completed. After paving the deck, crews will diamond grind it for a smooth surface. They are also considering adding a granite traction coating to increase the durability of the surface. 

The old bridge opened in 1931 and carries about 5,100 vehicles a day.