Work to repair the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge is set to begin March 16, according to information from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
Contractors will begin the repairs to fix damaged cabling so the bridge can be reopened to traffic, according to KYTC District 9 spokesperson Allen Blair.
Work should be complete by April 15, after which bridge inspectors will survey the repairs to make sure the bridge can be safely reopened, Blair said.
When reopened, the bridge will likely be restricted to a lower weight limit. Until repairs are complete and it passes inspection, the historic bridge will remain closed. All U.S. 62 traffic should continue to detour using the William H. Harsha Bridge on U.S. 68, 3 miles north of Maysville to connect to and from U.S. 52 and U.S. 62 in Ohio.
The 1930s-era downtown bridge, which carries U.S. 62 across the Ohio River between Maysville and Aberdeen, Ohio, was restricted to a 3-ton weight limit in July when inspectors found corrosion damage to several suspender cables – the vertical cables extending from the main suspension cable that support the bridge’s driving surface. A follow-up inspection which showed the damage to be worsening resulted in the bridge’s closure last fall.
The repairs will include installation of temporary support rods and brackets at 19 locations adjacent to damaged suspender cables as a short-term safety measure and to hopefully return the bridge to a more normal weight limit while longer-term repairs are considered, officials said.
In November, the Transportation Cabinet awarded a $254,535 repair contract to Judy C. Harp Company, Inc., and the contractor began ordering cables and other materials.
The repairs will include installation of temporary support rods and brackets at 19 locations adjacent to damaged suspender cables as a short-term safety measure and to hopefully return the bridge to a more normal weight limit while longer-term repairs are considered.
The suspension bridge was built in 1931. Its main span is 1,060 feet long, and the total length of the bridge is 1,991 feet. The bridge was designed by Modjeski and Masters and was open to traffic on Nov. 25, 1931. While some of the cabling on the bridge may be original, much of it was replaced during previous rehabilitation efforts, officials said.
Necklace lighting, one of the bridge’s signature features, will be turned off as repairs are made, Blair said, because of the close proximity of the cables to electrical lines. Once repairs are complete, the lights wil be turned back on, he said.
