New traffic patterns required for safe, speedy reopening
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 13, 2024) – With replacement steel beams fabricated and emergency repair plans in place, the first step to restore a portion of the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge in downtown Louisville is targeted to begin next Wednesday. To safely and fully reopen the bridge to traffic, temporary traffic changes are needed to allow crews room to work. New striping will be applied starting Wednesday to restrict the bridge to southbound-only traffic during repairs. The timing of that change is being coordinated with the ongoing Sherman Minton Bridge construction.
“Public safety has been and will continue to be our top priority as we work to quickly repair isolated sidewalk and railing damage on the Clark Memorial bridge,” said Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray. “This requires a great deal of coordination and fine-tuning with engineers on the two bridge projects to maintain as many travel options as possible for drivers while repairs are underway.”
At 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 20, a short-term full closure of the bridge will start, allowing contract crews to set up traffic control devices for the repair project. The traffic control setup should be complete by late afternoon – before evening rush hour. Then, the bridge will be reopened to two lanes carrying southbound-only traffic from Indiana to downtown Louisville.
This temporary traffic restriction will help ensure the least interruptions to downtown commuter and delivery traffic while accommodating necessary safety barriers to protect workers and travelers.
"With materials in hand and plans in place, we are eager to start work to restore this critical link for motorists,” said KYTC Chief District Engineer Matt Bullock. “Keeping traffic flowing in one direction allows crews to expedite and execute repairs as they will need to stage large equipment to perform the work.”
Two lanes of southbound traffic will be maintained through repair project completion. Northbound traffic traveling from Kentucky to Indiana should detour by utilizing I-64 West (Sherman Minton Bridge) or I-65 North (Abraham Lincoln Bridge). Both sidewalks will remain closed to pedestrian travel until repairs have been completed.
Additional intermittent full closures during non-peak travel times are expected to allow contract crews ample space to deliver and set sidewalk beams.
Engineers developed the repair timeline and traffic changes on the Clark Memorial Bridge in coordination with planned repairs and traffic changes related to the Sherman Minton Renewal and will continue to coordinate traffic throughout the project.
Repair work should be completed by mid-April. The work will not interfere with efforts by the city or fireworks company to host the popular Thunder Over Louisville event, which annually requires a three-day closure of the bridge to traffic.
Recap of Emergency Closure
The George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, also known as the Second Street bridge, in Jefferson County was damaged during a March 1 crash involving a semi-truck. After the crash scene was cleared, KYTC engineers conducted a thorough inspection of the bridge, confirming identified damages did not affect the structural integrity of the bridge. With safety confirmed, the bridge reopened to traffic the following day with one southbound travel lane and two northbound lanes.
Damage is isolated to the sidewalk structure, which was designed to support pedestrian traffic, not vehicular traffic. To expedite the repair project, KYTC is utilizing an existing contract with Judy C. Harp Company, Inc. of Frankfort, Ky., who recently completed repairs to another portion of the bridge. Repairs included in the project scope consist of the removal of the damaged sidewalk structure and beams, replacement of steel beams and sidewalk railing, sidewalk construction, utility repairs, and paint touch-ups.
"KYTC understands the importance of swiftly addressing the damages to the Clark Memorial Bridge as it serves as a crucial transportation link between Louisville and Southern Indiana," Bullock said. "We appreciate the public’s understanding during the duration of the project as contract crews work to repair the bridge."
The Clark Memorial Bridge was built in 1929 and reconstructed in 1958. It carries an average of 24,000 vehicles per day on U.S. 31 over the Ohio River, including passenger and commercial vehicles that weigh up to 40 tons.
###
|
-
-
