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Eggners Ferry Bridge Repairs are On Track

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

The Eggners Ferry Bridge may open a few hours ahead of schedule this Memorial Day weekend, but officials say don't plan on it. Yesterday, crews worked on the curbs and guardrails. 

“We continue to be optimistic the remaining finish work will be completed ahead of schedule,” KYTC District One Chief Engineer Jim LeFevre said.  “However, at this point, it is difficult to predict a specific day and time for restoring traffic.  We will continue to monitor progress on all fronts and will make an announcement as soon as possible.”

Test samples taken so far during the concrete pour show on the bridge show the deck exceeds state strength specifications.  A team of Transportation Cabinet experts will conduct a detailed inspection of the new span today.  LeFevre says work remains on schedule to reopen the bridge this Sunday at midnight. 

The Eggners Ferry Bridge crosses Kentucky Lake between Marshall and Trigg counties.  A 322-foot span of the bridge was destroyed when struck by an 8200 ton cargo ship on the night of Jan. 26.  The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) awarded an emergency contract for the repair project to Hall Contracting. The contract specifies a deadline of Sunday, May 27, for completion of repairs and reopening the bridge to traffic.

When a date and time for restoring traffic is determined it will be posted at www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict1. The page also contains photos and video of the ongoing work on the bridge.  You do not have to be a Facebook member to access this page.

Todd Hatton hails from Paducah, Kentucky, where he got into radio under the auspices of the late, great John Stewart of WKYX while a student at Paducah Community College. He also worked at WKMS in the reel-to-reel tape days of the early 1990s before running off first to San Francisco, then Orlando in search of something to do when he grew up. He received his MFA in Creative Writing at Murray State University. He vigorously resists adulthood and watches his wife, Angela Hatton, save the world one plastic bottle at a time.
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