The U.S. 51 Ohio River “Cairo” Bridge is open to normal 2-lane traffic flow. A work zone with one-lane traffic, an 8 foot, 6-inch load width restriction, and alternating flow controlled by an automated signal that had slowed traffic for months was taken down this afternoon.
The work zone restrictions were required to facilitate bridge deck and joint replacement work. Since work started on June 8, the work zone has created delays of up to an hour or more during peak travel periods at the Ohio River crossing between Wickliffe, Kentucky, and Cairo, Illinois. The load width restriction also hampered farmers who needed to move equipment across the bridge.
The bridge was closed to all traffic during most of August to allow roadway improvements along the Kentucky approach embankment. That work included almost 2 miles of new concrete surface, a section of new asphalt pavement that raised the elevation of the driving surface, and the use of millings to reinforce shoulder areas. The road maintenance raised the pavement elevation about 16 inches to reduce the length of closures during extreme flood events.
The target completion date was originally Oct. 1. The work zone timeline had to be extended due to a delay in the fabrication of steel finger joints for the bridge deck.
The U.S. 51 Ohio River “Cairo” Bridge serves as a north-south connector for U.S. 51, as well as a critical east-west transportation corridor for U.S. 60 and U.S. 62. The bridge carries about 7,000 vehicles per day between Kentucky and Illinois. About 35 percent of that is commercial trucks. The truck volume increases during harvest season as Kentucky farmers haul their grain to elevators in Cairo and Mound City.
KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Kyle Poat expressed his appreciation to regular users of the bridge who have endured nearly 6 months of work zone restrictions.
“We know this bridge maintenance and repair project has created a lot of inconvenience for commuters, truckers, and travelers,” Poat said. “We want to thank everyone who endured the work zone restrictions, as well as the extended detour during the closure. We think you’ll be pleased with the work. This project is designed to put the existing bridge in optimum condition as we continue the planning process for the future construction of a new bridge at this crossing.”
Construction on a new bridge is expected to start in about 5 to 10 years. Motorists who wish to provide feedback on planning for a new bridge can go to www.us51bridge.com to participate in an online public meeting through Oct, 30. The site includes an online survey with space to provide comments at the end. As of Friday morning, 68 citizens had provided feedback on the planning process.
The U.S. 51 Ohio River Bridge connects Kentucky and Illinois about 5 miles north of Wickliffe at Kentucky mile point 7.372. Also known as the Cairo Bridge, it immediately connects with the U.S. 60/U.S. 62 Mississippi River Bridge that carries traffic between Illinois and Missouri.
The U.S. 51 Ohio River “Cairo” Bridge opened to traffic on Nov. 11, 1938. The Cairo-Wickliffe Bridge is at Ohio River navigation mile point 980.4 near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.