Closure, repairs of 12th Street bridge in Ashland set to start Saturday, Sept. 8
Temporary two-month closure required
FLEMINGSBURG, Ky. (Sept. 6, 2018) – The 12th Street bridge over the Ohio River in downtown Ashland will close for repairs beginning Saturday, Sept. 8, and all traffic will detour to the adjacent 13th Street bridge for the next two months.
Contractors had expected to start Sunday on the $1 million Transportation Cabinet preventive maintenance project, but a rainy forecast moved that schedule up one day.
Early Saturday morning, crews will begin repositioning traffic signals and repainting lane marks on the 13th Street (blue) bridge, the Simeon Willis Bridge, to convert it to handle two-way traffic. Motorists should watch for lane closures and flaggers on the bridge, 13th Street and Winchester Avenue in Ashland, and on US 52 in Ohio.
By Saturday afternoon, all Ohio to Kentucky traffic should be shifted onto the 13th Street bridge, and the 12th Street bridge will be closed. The following traffic patterns will in place:
OHIO TO KENTUCKY
- Motorists crossing the Ohio River from US 52 in Ohio to US 23 or US 60 in Kentucky will proceed through the traffic lights and onto the 13th Street bridge. The far right lane will be used for Kentucky-bound traffic.
- At the end of the 13th Street bridge in Kentucky, traffic will be split into two right-turn only lanes that MUST turn right onto US 23-Winchester Avenue.
- For US 60 west, follow US 23 north and turn left at the next light (12th Street). For US 23 north, proceed straight. For US 23 south or US 60 east, proceed straight and then turn right at 11th Street following the truck route to Greenup Avenue.
KENTUCKY TO OHIO
- Motorists crossing the Ohio River from US 23 in Kentucky to US 52 in Ohio will proceed straight on 13th Street in Ashland onto the bridge as usual. All traffic crossing to Ohio will be restricted to the two right lanes. Turns and traffic signals for US 52 at the end of the bridge will remain unaffected.
The traffic changes remain weather dependent. In case of rain or storms Saturday, the 12th Street bridge closure and reconfiguration of the 13th Street could be delayed until later next week.
PROJECT
The 12th Street preventive maintenance project includes a new concrete driving surface, new connecting joints and other repairs to the 1930s-era 12th Street (green) bridge – officially named the Ben Williamson Memorial Bridge – which will help ensure its continued longevity.
Closing the bridge is the safest option for both motorists and contractors – the structure is too narrow to work in one lane while traffic is flowing in the other lane – and it shortens the repair time.
During construction, all traffic on the one-way 12th Street bridge will remaini detoured across the adjacent 13th Street bridge. The traffic changes are similar to the detours established when the 12th Street bridge was repaired in 2013 after a truck damaged a support beam.
The 12th Street bridge was fully refurbished in the 1980s and since then has seen several painting and maintenance projects.
Recently, engineers analyzed the bridge's concrete pavement using ground penetrating radar and other methods and determined that a concrete overlay and new deck joints are necessary to prevent future deterioration of the roadway and safeguard the bridge's ability to handle its traffic load.
In June, the Transportation Cabinet awarded a $988,948 contract to Delong Concrete LLC of Lexington for the work. The project includes a Nov. 15 completion deadline.
During the project, Kentucky Department of Highways will provide updated traffic information to the public via local media and online at http://transportation.ky.gov/DistrictNine, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
###
