Update: 7:17 p.m. – Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 2 Public Information Officer Matt Hughes provided an updated statement regarding the timeline for the Owensboro Bridge project, saying the plan is to accept bids through the summer and begin work in the fall instead of starting in the summer as previously stated.
The full statement is below:
“Maintaining our roads and bridges for long-term, efficient travel is a priority of the administration. An anticipated maintenance project for the Glover Cary Bridge in downtown Owensboro has been discussed, but a contract has not been awarded. We anticipate requesting contractor bids this summer with plans to begin the work this fall once a contract is awarded. A closure of the bridge is expected to perform the work as single lane closures are not possible due to structural limitations while replacing the deck. Details about the closure length will be finalized once a contract is awarded and Transportation Cabinet engineers coordinate with the contractor. Reducing the closure to minimize impacts to travelers will be a priority.”
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Original Story: The Owensboro Bridge, commonly referred to as the Blue Bridge, will be totally closed to traffic for “a couple of months” for repairs, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials said Tuesday.
KYTC Chief District Engineer for District II Deneatra Henderson said Tuesday morning during the Owensboro-Daviess County Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting that construction crews will be working on the last section of deck replacement for the bridge this summer.
She said the portion of the deck being worked on provides easy access from the Owensboro side of the bridge.
“It’s just the last section of replacement on the bridge that what we’re doing,” Henderson said.
Though the work will primarily be on the southern side, Henderson said the bridge will be closed completely during construction. When asked by MPO board members how long the bridge would be closed, Henderson said “a couple of months.”
KYTC Public Information Officer Matt Hughes said that when a contractor is placed on the project, they can nail down an exact start date, but they plan to start this summer.
Henderson said some of the work will also focus on the bridge lights, which have periodically had issues remaining on.
Assistant City Manager Leland Hancock said that the bridge’s lighting outages tend to be design problems that arise, along with the fact the bridge is a living structure. The bridge was built to adjust to the rise and fall of the river level, which means the lights attached to the bridge must be adjusted as well, he said.
“It moves with traffic as it flexes up and down with the weight as well, and all of those conduits and wires, and you try to incorporate expansion joints and those types of things into your electrical system. They did a pretty good job at that, but there are just a few of those that just need a little attention,” Hancock said.
Hancock said while they have had to make repairs over time to the bridge, instances like the lightning strike that hit the bridge can cause unforeseen problems that must be addressed.
One misconception Hancock addressed is that the bridge has two areas purposefully unlit on either side of it to avoid confusing water travelers.
