NEWS RELEASE
Weather permitting, A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to continue a detailed inspection of the US 41 Twin Bridges at Henderson on Monday, August 15, 2016.
After taking a break on Sunday due to the high probability of rain, the contract plans to move to the NORTHBOUND bridge this week.
To facilitate the inspection, the contractor is placing a daytime work zone lane restriction on the northbound bridge. Northbound motorists should be alert for one lane traffic between approximately 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., CDT, Monday through Friday. Climbers may be on the bridge earlier and later in the day without the need for lane restrictions.
Should weather conditions prohibit inspection activities, the contractor will delay the start of work on a day by day basis until they can resume.
The contractor will have work zone lane restrictions up for extended hours on the weekends to help complete the inspection as quickly as possible.
Once the northbound bridge inspection is completed, inspectors will move back to the southbound bridge for about a day before they depart.
The contractor will be using a snooper truck and a man-lift to assist with the work. Appropriate caution is required where equipment, flaggers, and inspection personnel are along the roadway in close proximity to traffic flow.
The contractor anticipates the inspection work should be completed in about 7 to 10 days, weather permitting.
All Kentucky bridges get a detailed inspection every two years. All long-span river and lake bridges get an additional annual walk-through inspection.
The US 41 Twin Bridges, also known as the Bi-State Viet Nam Gold Star Memorial Bridges, are located at US 41 mile point 19.649 about a mile south of the Kentucky-Indiana State Line. They carry approximately 37,000 vehicles per day across the Ohio River between Henderson, KY, and Evansville, IN.
The bridges are located about a mile downstream from the confluence of the Green River and the Ohio River at Ohio River navigation mile point 786.8.
The northbound bridge was opened to traffic on July 4, 1932. The southbound bridge was opened to traffic on December 16, 1965.
The Twin Bridges have a total length of 5, 393.6 ft. with a 720 ft. main navigation span. The bridge superstructure is a Warren cantilevered through-truss design.