Closures will run Sunday through Thursday
OWENSBORO, Ky. (April 17, 2013) — Prep work for painting the KY 2262 Ohio River Blue Bridge in downtown Owensboro will begin Sunday night, April 21, with the start of overnight closures running Sunday through Thursday.
The contractor is allowed to close the bridge from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. CDT, Sunday through Thursday, for rigging work needed to secure containment tarps that will go up when the main cleaning and painting work starts after Owensboro’s International Bar-B-Q Festival in May.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials said they want everyone to be fully prepared for the overnight closures starting April 21 and closure of the bridge to all traffic starting May 13.
[pullquote_left]Approximately 8,500 vehicles cross the Ohio River on the Blue Bridge between Kentucky and Indiana in an average day.[/pullquote_left]
The Blue Bridge in downtown Owensboro – formally called the Glover Cary Bridge and the KY 2262 Ohio River Bridge – will be open with no lane restrictions the weekend of Owensboro’s International Bar-B-Q Festival. However, the contractor can schedule lane restrictions and overnight closures before then to prepare for work to start immediately after the festival.
The painting contract calls for the bridge to be closed to all traffic from about May 13 through Nov. 15. Work on approach spans can be completed from beneath the bridge with only minor traffic disruptions.
Spartan Contracting, LLC is the prime contractor on the $10 million painting project, which is jointly funded by Kentucky and Indiana.
During the overnight closures, farmers should continue contacting the Owensboro Police Department to make crossing arrangements for farm equipment to cross during hours that the bridge is open.
The Blue Bridge is 4,622 feet long. It connects KY 2262 and Indiana State Route 161 over the Ohio River at Owensboro. Approximately 8,500 vehicles cross the Ohio River on the Blue Bridge between Kentucky and Indiana in an average day. Trucks normally account for about 15 percent of that traffic. The structure opened to traffic in September 1940 as a toll bridge. Tolls were discontinued in 1954.
Timely traffic advisories for the 11 counties of KYTC Highway District 2 and the Blue Bridge painting project are available by going to www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict2.
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