KYTC drawing up repair plan for US 51 bridge at Cairo

UPDATE:
The US 51 Ohio River bridge connecting Wickliffe and Cairo remains closed until further notice.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 1 closed the bridge Monday. They conducted a special inspection and identified a problem on the Kentucky approach.

A bearing pad shifted out of place, causing the bridge deck to become misaligned by two to three inches at an expansion joint. Bearing pads function like cartilage between joints, supporting steel beams while accommodating the bridge's natural expansion and contraction. 

There are no concerns about the bridge's overall structural integrity. The repair will require crews to lift a heavy section of the bridge deck to replace the bearing pad. 

State engineers are working with the contractor and design team to finalize a repair plan as quickly as possible.

There is currently no estimated timeline for reopening the bridge. 


ORIGINAL STORY:
Getting from Kentucky to Illinois and Missouri has become increasingly difficult with the US 51 bridge from Wickliffe to Cairo closed.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet closed the bridge on Monday after a driver noticed what was described as a “noticeable change to the bridge deck.” That change prompted a special inspection by engineers. Once they complete their assessment, they will have to decide if they can reopen it to traffic.

In the meantime, that means a lot more traffic trying to cross along I-24 and the Brookport Bridge to a lesser extent. jpstraffic.com is reporting increasing delays along the interstate corridor, which is also choked down due to the ongoing construction that has it reduced to one lane in each direction.

Further compounding issues, the Cave-In-Rock Ferry is still not operating after the last contract offer was rejected. The Dorena-Hickman Ferry, the only direct link between Kentucky and Missouri, is temporarily closed, as well, while they dredge the harbor.

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