Commonly referred to as the Glover Cary Bridge or the Blue Bridge, the Owensboro Bridge is now set to reopen by the end of the day Friday, Jan. 23, following an extended closure that began July 14, 2025, and months of delays that have led to more than $1.5 million in penalties for the contractor.
According to a release from KYTC, the $18 million rehabilitation project included the replacement of 900 feet of concrete-filled steel bridge decking and additional steel repairs identified after construction began. Crews completed work on both the Indiana and Kentucky approaches, with final concrete pours on the main structure wrapping up earlier this month.
Originally expected to last 90 days, the project was scheduled to be completed by Oct. 1. However, the contractor did not begin work until mid-July and formally notified the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in September that the timeline would be missed. KYTC said fabrication and material delays, along with a failure to work during several key holiday weeks, pushed the projected reopening into late January.
The state has applied $15,000 per day in liquidated damages since October, with an additional $4,000 per day added after Nov. 15 for not completing the project in full. As of early January, the total in penalties had surpassed $1.5 million and continued to grow.
While the state-maintained bridge was closed, the City of Owensboro completed maintenance on the city-owned bridge lighting system without disrupting traffic.
The Owensboro Bridge opened in 1940 and typically carries about 7,200 vehicles daily across the Ohio River between Daviess County and southern Indiana. Traffic has been detoured to the William H. Natcher Bridge throughout the closure.
