AURORA, Ky. (April 7, 2016) - After delaying opening of the New U.S. 68/KY 80 Eggners Ferry Bridge, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet engineers say moving 2-lane traffic to the new structure is back on for this afternoon. Transportation officials had expected the move to come this morning. However, last night they announced weather and a number of other factors combined to delay for what was expected to be a few days. Meanwhile, the contractor and bridge design engineers continued working through the night and into this morning to finish out a number of critical items, including tensioning of the bridge support cables. According to KYTC District 1 Public Information Officer Keith Todd, they concluded only two of the cables would require adjustments. "Once engineers calculated the remaining cable adjustments, they concluded the work could be completed in a matter of hours instead of days. That put us back on track to get the new bridge open today," Todd said. "Fairly calm winds in the forecast for this morning also made it possible for adjustments on the final 2 cables to be completed by about Noon, today." Todd says he now anticipates 2-lanes of traffic can be moved to the new bridge by mid-afternoon. "A crew is cleaning the westbound lanes of the new bridge this morning. We fully expect traffic striping to be applied, and other final arrangements to be completed, today. That puts us on schedule to move 2-way traffic to the new structure sometime between about Noon and 3:00 p.m., today," Todd added. No formal ceremony is planned for this initial move to 2-way traffic. Officials are planning a public event when the bridge eventually opens to 4-lane traffic later this year. Rain and windy weather had hampered progress this week as the contractor focused on finishing concrete barriers, installing guardrail end treatments, diamond grinding the deck driving surface, completing a final inspection of paint, as well as checking tension on the deck support cables. The contractor expects to start removing the deck from the old bridge within about a week of established 2-way traffic on the new bridge. An explosives team plans to be at the site next week for initial survey work to help with the demolition planning on the old bridge. The existing U.S. 68/KY 80 Eggners Ferry Bridge initially opened to traffic in March 1932. Approximately 3,000 vehicles cross the existing Eggners Ferry Bridge daily. In January 2012, a 322 ft. span of the Eggners Ferry Bridge was struck and knocked into the Kentucky Lake by the Delta Mariner cargo ship. KYTC engineers developed plans to rebuild the missing span and restore traffic to the bridge in 17 weeks. The existing Eggners Ferry Bridge was reopened to traffic in 2012 prior to Memorial Day. Johnson Brothers Corporation of Ft. Worth, TX, a Southland Company, is the prime contractor on the $133 million Eggners Ferry Bridge project.
