The U.S. 51 Ohio River “Cairo” Bridge has safely reopened to vehicular traffic after being temporarily closed Friday evening. The bridge was closed to allow a bridge inspection after a tow boat antenna mast made contact with a bridge beam.
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 near the Kentucky shoreline.
KYTC certified bridge inspectors surveyed the truss girder beam impacted by the antenna mast and found no damage to the bridge.
The U.S. 51 Ohio River “Cairo” Bridge reopened to traffic at 9:33 p.m., CDT.
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 hit by the antenna mast in the right side of the photo. It is a truss girder span immediately at the shoreline.