UPDATE: U.S. 51 Ohio River "Cairo" Is Open

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

 

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet • District 1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Keith Todd
270-898-2431 (office)
270-210-8009 (cell)
Keith.Todd@ky.gov

UPDATE:  U.S. 51 Ohio River "Cairo" Bridge is Open 

Crash site is cleared - All lanes are open

PADUCAH, Ky. (April 21, 2022)  The U.S. 51 Ohio River "Cairo" Bridge has reopened to traffic.  The bridge was temporarily closed for about four hours due to a SEMI rollover crash at the Kentucky end of the bridge.

The crash site has been cleared.  All lanes are open at this time.

Photos of the crash are posted on the KYTC District 1 Facebook page listed below.

The Wickliffe-Cairo Bridge carries U.S. 51, U.S. 60, and U.S. 62 traffic across the Ohio River at U.S. 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 U.S. 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.

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To get traffic advisories and alerts for KYTC District 1 counties via email please go to https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/KYTC/signup/13651 and click on the District 1 counties you regularly drive through, or for any of the specialty corridors you travel.  Be sure to check your SPAM filtering to assure Gov Delivery is on your approved list.

Timely traffic advisories for the 12 counties of KYTC Highway District 1 are available by going to www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict1. You do not have to be a Facebook member to access this page.

Navigate traffic at goky.ky.gov, at waze.com, or with the WAZE App.

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