Contractor reports delay in Blue Bridge project

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) reports the contractor overseeing bridge deck and joint repairs to Owensboro’s Blue Bridge has notified the KYTC that the bridge will need to remain temporarily closed longer than the expected 90 days ending October 1 to complete necessary improvements.

According to the KYTC, representatives of American Contracting and Services cite ongoing supply chain issues as the primary factor driving the extended closure. KYTC says its engineers have been working closely with the contractor for the last several weeks, but multiple attempts to secure a new final completion date have been unsuccessful. The KYTC says engineers will continue working closely with the contractor to address material shortages and explore potential solutions that could accelerate progress and bring the bridge back into service as soon as possible.

Officials say the extended closure will ensure crews can complete long-term concrete maintenance and steel joint repairs that will help preserve the bridge’s structural integrity and keep it safe to maintain the traffic service it provides across the Ohio River for many years to come.

The KYTC says the repair project, which began in mid-July, is a critical investment in the bridge’s future. Crews are replacing one 750-foot-long span of concrete-filled bridge decking and repairing a second span of the same length. Because the decking spans the full width of the bridge, lane-by-lane repairs are not possible, requiring full closure of the bridge during construction. Additional deck work is also underway on the Indiana approach.

Officials say traffic needing to cross the Ohio River between Kentucky and Indiana during the closure should continue to detour using the U.S. 231 William H. Natcher Bridge.