Repairs will restrict bridge to two lanes, southbound only through mid-April
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 18, 2024) – Temporary traffic changes on the George Rogers Clark Memorial (Second Street) Bridge in Louisville will start Wednesday for sidewalk and railing repairs. The bridge will be temporarily converted to two lanes for southbound-only traffic. The restriction will allow contractors to safely and fully reopen the bridge by mid-April. Motorists should note the following changes during the project:
- At 9 a.m. Wednesday, the bridge will be closed to all traffic. Contractors will set up traffic control devices and repaint travel lanes.
- By late afternoon Wednesday – before evening rush hour – the bridge will reopen, with two lanes carrying southbound-only traffic from Indiana to downtown Louisville. It will remain two lanes southbound until repairs are complete.
- Northbound traffic traveling from Kentucky to Indiana should detour using I-64 West (Sherman Minton Bridge) or I-65 North (Abraham Lincoln Bridge).
- Expect additional intermittent full bridge closures during non-peak travel times to allow contract crews ample space to deliver and set sidewalk beams.
- Both sidewalks are closed, and will remain closed to pedestrian travel.
These temporary traffic restrictions will help expedite the repair project and ensure the least interruptions to downtown commuter and delivery traffic while accommodating necessary safety barriers to protect workers and travelers.
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.
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.
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