It’s unclear when the Owensboro Bridge will reopen. According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the contractor overseeing bridge deck and joint repairs has notified KYTC that the bridge will need to remain temporarily closed longer than the expected 90 days.
According to KYTC, representatives of American Contracting & Services cited ongoing supply chain issues as the primary factor driving the extended closure. KYTC engineers have been working closely with the contractor for the last several weeks, but multiple attempts to secure a new final completion date have been unsuccessful, officials said in a release.
“Transportation Cabinet engineers will continue working closely with the contractor to address material shortages and explore potential solutions that could accelerate progress and bring the bridge back into service as soon as possible,” the release says.
According to KYTC, the extended closure “will ensure crews can complete long-term concrete maintenance and steel joint repairs that will help preserve the bridge’s structural integrity and keep it safe to maintain the vital traffic service it provides.”
Crews are replacing one 750-foot-long span of concrete-filled bridge decking and repairing a second span of the same length. Because the decking spans the full width of the bridge, lane-by-lane repairs are not possible, requiring full closure of the bridge during construction. Additional deck work is also underway on the Indiana approach.
Approximately 7,200 vehicles cross the bridge daily. The structure opened to traffic in 1940.
Traffic needing to cross the Ohio River between Kentucky and Indiana during the closure should continue to detour using the nearby U.S. 231 William H. Natcher Bridge.
