LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Clark Memorial Bridge, or Second Street Bridge, will only allow one-way traffic for several days starting next week as crews begin emergency repairs.
The bridge was damaged earlier this month after a crash ended with a semi-truck dangling over the downtown bridge and a daring rescue by a Louisville firefighter.
Replacement steel beams were fabricated to restore the bridge and the first repairs will begin next Wednesday, March 20 at 9 a.m.
“Public safety has been and will continue to be our top priority as we work to quickly repair isolated sidewalk and railing damage on the Clark Memorial Bridge,” Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Secretary Jim Gray said.
The timing of closures is being coordinated with ongoing construction of the Sherman Minton Bridge, which reopened Wednesday morning after an unexpected, six-day closure.
Repair timeline, expected detours
Next Wednesday, the Clark Memorial Bridge will temporarily shut down as crews apply new striping to restrict the bridge to southbound-only traffic. Traffic control setup should be complete by late afternoon, officials said.
This is so crews have room to safely work on the repairs, KYTC officials said.
Once the bridge is reopened, only two southbound-only lanes will be available to drivers heading from Indiana to downtown Louisville.
Traffic will remain this way until the restoration project is complete in mid-April.
Drivers heading from Louisville to southern Indiana will need to detour using the Sherman Minton Bride or the I-65 North toll bridge, known as the Abraham Lincoln Bridge.
KYTC Chief District Engineer Matt Bullock said restricting traffic to one direction should help crews “expedite and execute repairs.”
Both sidewalks will also be closed to pedestrians until repairs are completed.
Officials said drivers should expect additional intermittent full closures during non-peak travel times so crews can deliver and set bridge beams.
KYTC said the closures should have no impact on this year’s upcoming Thunder Over Louisville.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.