LOUISVILLE (WHAS11) – For a couple of months, the maintenance work on the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, also referred to as the 2nd Street bridge, will be paused for winter.
The bridge work requiring overnight closure of the bridge was finished on Tuesday, Dec. 4. Most of the tarps and equipment were removed and now all four lanes of US 31 are open to traffic. The sidewalks are also open to pedestrians.
The remaining cleanup will be done this week, but it will not impact traffic. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is asking motorists to watch for workers along the sidewalks.
Some equipment, like rigging cables and trusses, will remain throughout the winter. This will not impact traffic and will allow crews to set up platforms and containment areas faster for when work resumes in 2019.
The work to clean and finish painting the bridge is expected to resume in mid-February 2019. The specific date will be announced at a later time.
The nightly closures will resume next year as well. The overnight closures are to help create work zone safety.
Spartan Contracting LLC of Hubbard, Ohio was awarded a $27.9 million maintenance contract for cleaning and painting the Clark Memorial Bridge. This work will preserve the steel, thus extending the life of the 89-year old bridge.
The old paint on the bridge is being removed via a blast cleaning process prior to painting the steel. Crews began working on the Indiana end of the bridge in February and are progressing south to Kentucky. This project is scheduled for completion in November of 2019.
