U.S. 51 Ohio River "Cairo" Bridge To Closed Due to Tow Boat Antenna Mast Hit
Bridge closed to allow for inspection
PADUCAH, Ky. (May 10, 2024) – The U.S. 51 Ohio River "Cairo" Bridge is temporarily closed to allow a bridge inspection due to tow boat antenna mast hit on a bridge beam this evening.
The U.S. Coast Guard Ohio River Operations Center reported a harbor tug lost power after retrieving an empty barge from the fleet area just upstream from the bridge. While without power, the tow boat drifted downstream where the antenna mast hit a steel beam at the bottom of one of the bridge approach spans.
KYTC bridge inspectors are en route to the site to survey the bridge.
The U.S. 51 Ohio River "Cairo" Bridge is expected to be closed for about 90 minutes to facilitate the inspection.
The closest detour is via the Interstate 24 Ohio River Bridge at Paducah.
KYTC District 1 will provide timely notice when the safety inspection is completed.
PHOTO NOTE: The file photo of the U.S. 51 Ohio River "Cairo" Bridge below is a shot from the Kentucky shoreline with the span believed to have been hit by the antenna mast in the right side of the photo. It is a truss girder span immediately at the shoreline.
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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.
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