The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has awarded a $250,000 project to repair damaged cables found this summer on the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge (US 62) at Maysville.
The project includes installation of temporary support rods and brackets at 19 locations adjacent to damaged suspender cables – the vertical cables extending from the main suspension cable that support the bridge’s driving surface – as a short-term safety measure and to hopefully return the bridge to a more normal weight limit while longer-term repairs are considered.
The work will be done by Judy C. Harp Company, Inc., under a $254,535 low-bid Kentucky Transportation Cabinet contract.
A timetable for the repair is not yet available. Engineers will meet soon with contractors to determine a project schedule and to review plans. Plans will include a short, temporary closure of the bridge.
The bridge, which carries US 62 across the Ohio River between downtown Maysville and Aberdeen, Ohio, was restricted to a 3-ton weight limit as a safety precaution in July after inspectors found corrosion damage to several suspender cables. State highway engineers put the bridge on a monthly inspection rotation, and began planning both short- and long-term improvements.
“The Simon Kenton Bridge is vital to Maysville and to our transportation network in northeast Kentucky,” said Steve Gunnell, Kentucky Department of Highways District 9 chief engineer. “We plan to move repairs forward as quickly as possible.”
Once repairs are made, engineers will assess the load rating of the bridge for any weight limit changes. Until then, the current weight restrictions remain posted. All prohibited vehicles, which includes most vehicles other than passenger cars and trucks, should detour using the William H. Harsha Bridge (US 68) three miles north of Maysville.
(provided by Department of Highways District 9)
