UPDATE: U.S. 51 Ohio River "Cairo" Bridge is Open
Bridge inspected following early morning bridge hit
PADUCAH, Ky. (Feb. 18, 2022) – The U.S. 51 Ohio River "Cairo" Bridge has reopened to traffic following an early morning barge hit on one of the piers. The bridge was closed for just under two hours to allow a bridge inspector to run a safety check on the structure.
The U.S. Coast Guard Ohio River Operations Center in Louisville reported the Motor Vessel G.W. Frayser struck the bridge with15 barges loaded with dry cargo at approximately 3:43 a.m., CST, today.
The Ballard County 911 Call Center dispatched a deputy to close the bridge until it could be inspected.
The Coast Guard indicated the tow boat was heading downstream on the Ohio River attempting to make the turn to head upstream on the Mississippi River when the tow hit one of the right descending piers of the bridge.
The bridge was closed to traffic to allow a KYTC certified bridge inspector and other personnel to walk the bridge to check for possible damage. Once the safety check was completed, the bridge reopened to normal highway traffic.
The Wickliffe-Cairo Bridge carries US 51, US 60, and US 62 traffic across the Ohio River at US 51 Kentucky mile point 7.372.
Also known as The Cairo Bridge, the US 51/US 60/US 62 Wickliffe-Cairo Bridge carries approximately 4,700 vehicles across the Ohio River each day between Wickliffe, KY, and Cairo, IL. It connects with the US 60/US 62 Mississippi River Bridge to Bird’s Point, Missouri at the southern tip of Illinois.
The US 51 Ohio River Bridge was constructed by the Cairo Bridge Commission as a toll facility and opened to traffic on November 11, 1936. Tolls were removed from the crossing on November 11, 1948, when the highway departments of Kentucky and Illinois took over maintenance of the structure.
The Cairo-Wickliffe Bridge is at Ohio River navigation mile point 980.4.
|
