MADISONVILLE, Ky. – Kentucky Transportation Cabinet personnel spent most of Thursday working on a section of Interstate 165 in Owensboro that was closed earlier that morning by a crash that deposited nearly 500 gallons of molten aluminum on the roadway. After initially anticipating needing at least two days to get the roadway fully opened, KYTC was able to safely reopen both northbound lanes of the interstate just before 8 p.m. Thursday.
In addition to both northbound lanes that were blocked by the crash, the southbound fast lane was also closed to safely allow personnel to work near the roadway during recovery efforts.
Once the crash itself was cleared, personnel from KYTC’s Daviess and Ohio County maintenance crews quickly got to work repairing damage done by the metal.
Crews milled and swept the damaged roadway to remove the now dried aluminum, then packed the damaged area with base material to create a safe and stable surface.
Both damaged lanes and the lane that was blocked on the southbound side all reopened to traffic at just before 8 p.m.
KYTC will leave the roadway fully open all weekend for Owensboro’s ROMP festival, then return next week to resurface the damaged area.
Once paving begins, KYTC will repair one lane at a time, allowing the interstate to remain open while work is under way. Motorists should watch for signage alerting them to lane restrictions as they near the site, which is located about a half mile south of the end of the interstate near the Fairview Drive overpass.