Construction Underway on Three Eastern Kentucky Bridges
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has started work on three bridges in Eastern Kentucky as part of the Bridging Kentucky program.
Once completed, the bridges, located in Leslie, Harlan and Whitley counties, will join more than 300 other structures repaired or replaced since the start of the Bridging Kentucky program.
Leslie County
In Leslie County, work is underway on the Asher Camp Road bridge near KY 1780. The bridge was built in 1970, and decades of use led to scaling and cracking throughout the structure as well as sagging in the center of the bridge. Motorists will use a temporary diversion built to route traffic around the work zone until the new bridge opens in early May.
Harlan County
The bridge carrying Rasnick Road (CR 1020W) over Poor Fork Cumberland River at Old Highway 119 also showed signs of cracking as well as corrosion and spalling. The bridge, built in 1940, will remain open to traffic while crews build the new bridge in an adjacent location. The new bridge is expected to open to traffic in June.
Whitley County
The final of the three bridges is the Clear Fork Bridge carrying US 25W over Clear Fork River just south of Williamsburg. The rehabilitation of the bridge, built in 1946, will include a new superstructure with beams, a deck and railings. The abutments and piers will also be modified slightly to support the new superstructure. Motorists will encounter temporary lane closures and traffic signals to route them through the work zone until the bridge reopens in November.
These bridges are just three of the bridges that Bridging Kentucky crews are currently working to replace or rehabilitate throughout the state.
