LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Transportation officials hope all of the lanes on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge will be reopened within the next two weeks.
Crews with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet had closed the left three lanes near the Indiana (mile-marker 137) approach on May 20 after discovering a damaged finger joint in an interior travel lane.
Engineers said the damage was isolated to one section of the joint and have determined the “complexity of the repair” requires work from a bridge contractor.
RELATED: Big Four Bridge celebrates 10 year anniversary of sparking economic influence in southern Indiana
They explained the expansion joint is a component of the bridge deck that allows expansion and contraction to prevent the concrete from cracking.
As part of the repair work, officials said crews will re-secure the damaged joint and repair the underlying concrete across the closed lanes. Contractors will then move over to the right-most lanes to check and perform similar proactive maintenance if necessary.
Drivers coming from Indiana should expect merging traffic and delays.
KYTC said there will be a longer repair project in the bridge's future, but they are still working out the details. The goal is to replace the expansion joints at both ends of the bridge.
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.
