Demolition of Piers on the Old U.S. 60 Cumberland River "Smithland" Bridge Completed
Two blasts take down final remnants of old bridge structure
PADUCAH, Ky. (January 6, 2024) – Two explosive blasts took down the main piers of the Old U.S. 60 Cumberland River "Smithland" Bridge this morning. They were the last remaining sections of a structure that opened to traffic in 1931.
The New U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge was closed for about 20 minutes -- once at 9 a.m. and again at 12:45 a.m. to allow explosive demolition of the final pieces of the old bridge structure. The demolition contractor will now use excavator-mounted jackhammers to break up remaining sections of the concrete piers. Some sections of the old piers will have to be retrieved from the river.
The blasts were monitored by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), Jim Smith Contracting, Livingston County Emergency Management, the Kentucky Division of Mine Reclamation, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Video of the blasts is posted at www.Facebook.com/KYTCDistrict1, along with a photo of one of the blasts. A photo of the old bridge site following the blasts is attached below.
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The New U.S. 60 Cumberland River "Smithland" Bridge at Smithland, also known as the Jim R. Smith Memorial Bridge, opened to traffic on May 15, 2023. The new bridge is at U.S. 60 Livingston County mile point 12.348. The 1,912 ft. structure with a 700 ft. main truss and 40 ft. wide deck was constructed by Jim Smith Contracting of Grand Rivers.
About 5,100 vehicles cross the Smithland Bridge in an average day. The bridge is at Cumberland River navigation mile point 2.7.
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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.
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