Traffic Advisory: US 23 thru traffic to or from Ohio should use US 52 this weekend to avoid Portsmouth festival traffic
FLEMINGSBURG, Ky. (Sept. 3, 2015) – Kentucky motorists traveling US 23 beyond Portsmouth, Ohio, should use US 52 via the Greenup Locks and Dam in Greenup County this weekend to avoid Portsmouth festival traffic.
With the Carl D. Perkins Memorial Bridge at South Portsmouth closed for painting and a portion of the detour route through downtown Portsmouth marked for closure during Saturday’s River Days parade, officials are urging the use of alternate routes:
- Thru traffic on North US 23, especially commercial vehicles, going to New Boston, Chillicothe, Columbus or other destinations may use KY 10 east at the Greenup Locks and Dam to access US 52 west to return to US 23 north of Portsmouth to avoid downtown festival traffic.
- Thru traffic on southbound US 23 in both Ohio and Kentucky may also use the Greenup Locks and Dam and US 52 to avoid festival traffic.
Ohio’s U.S. Grant Bridge (US 23) will be open to traffic coming into downtown Portsmouth for the festival or other destinations. However, part of US 23 (Gay Street) in Portsmouth will be closed for several hours beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, and heavy traffic is expected downtown throughout the Labor Day weekend. During closures:
- All US 23 traffic will rerouted via Washington Street or nearby streets. Northbound commercial trucks will not be able to negotiate turns at Washington Street or on other city streets and will be rerouted using Ohio 73 (Second Street) to access US 52 East to reach US 23 North.
Due to the closure of the Carl Perkins Bridge, which is the US 23 truck route, all wide loads are currently being detoured to I-64 and through Huntington, W.Va., to reach US 52 to access US 23 in Ohio. The wide load detour remains unaffected.
The Carl Perkins Bridge will remain closed until mid-November as part of a nearly $7 million Kentucky Transportation Cabinet project to paint its 600,000-square-foot steel superstructure and preserve the bridge for the thousands of travelers who use it daily to cross from KY 8 and US 23 in Greenup County to US 52, Ohio 73 and US 23 in Portsmouth, Ohio. For more info, see http://bit.ly/PerkinsPaint.
