**Restrictions on U.S. 51 Ohio River Bridge between Kentucky and Illinois to End at Noon Today** PADUCAH, Ky. (September 18, 2013) – Work to maintain and repair the U.S. 51 Ohio River Bridge between Wickliffe, Ky., and Cairo, ILL., that has prohibited truck traffic and other large vehicles from crossing the structure has been completed. The contractor is in the process of taking down the traffic restrictions and returning the bridge to normal traffic. The bridge is expected to be ready for normal traffic flow at 12 Noon, today. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 1 Acting Chief Engineer Mike McGregor expressed his thanks for the patience of area industries and farmers who have been inconvenienced by having to detour around the bridge since July 29. “On average, 5,500 vehicles cross the bridge each day. About 35 percent is truck traffic. That meant an extended detour for about 1,900 vehicles each day,” McGregor said. “This maintenance and repair project will help to maintain the reliability of this bridge.” To accommodate the work to replace joints and deck support beams, crossings by motor homes, campers, horse trailers, and other vehicles over 7 feet wide and 19 feet long were also prohibited. KYTC engineers took advantage of the reduced traffic on the bridge to install concrete pavement at the busy intersection of U.S. 51, U.S. 60 and US. 62 in Wickliffe. “Work at the ‘T’ intersection would have been difficult had we not been able to take advantage of the reduced traffic flow created by the bridge work zone,” McGregor observed. The project included repairs to deck stringers, replacement of 10 joints on the bridge and approaches, as well as deck patching. The contractor expected to remove a traffic barrier wall and automated signal this morning allow trucks to start crossing the bridge at 12 Noon. The U.S. 51 Ohio River Bridge carries U.S. 60 and U.S. 62 between Kentucky and Illinois. It immediately connects with the U.S. 60/U.S. 62 Mississippi River Bridge which carries traffic between Illinois and Missouri. The U.S. 51 Ohio River Bridge was constructed by the Cairo Bridge Commission as a toll crossing and opened to traffic Nov. 11, 1936. Tolls were removed from the structure on Nov. 11, 1948, when the highway agencies of Kentucky and Illinois assumed responsibility for maintenance on the bridge.
Posted on: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 16:46:13 +0000
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