After a year of repairs, US 60/62 Mississippi River bridge has reopened

After almost a year of structural repairs, the US 60/62 Mississippi River bridge at Birds Point reopened to traffic on Wednesday.

The $5.86 million project began in October of 2023, and was anticipated to be completed Oct. 1, but the work was finished a week ahead of schedule.

After inspections in the spring of 2023, crews repaired more than 100 joints on the 94-year-old bridge while trucks and motorists from Kentucky were detoured through Cairo to I-57.

Meanwhile, the final design stage is under way for construction of a replacement for the nearby 88-year-old US 51 Ohio River bridge from Wickliffe to Cairo. Construction is not anticipated to begin before 2028.