By Mary Ann Kearns-
After six months of closure, engineers plan to reopen the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge in downtown Maysville in early May after additional rust-proofing and final inspections, officials said recently.
The 1930s-era bridge, which carries U.S. 62 across the Ohio River between Maysville and Aberdeen, Ohio, closed late last year when inspectors found extensive corrosion damage to several suspender cables – the vertical cables extending from the main suspension cable that support the bridge’s driving surface.
In July, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet lowered weight limits and put the bridge on a monthly inspection rotation and began planning temporary repairs.
In November, the cabinet awarded a $254,535 repair contract to Judy C. Harp Company, Inc., and the contractor began ordering bridge components and other materials.
The bridge was then closed to safeguard it from further damage, and protect the traveling public, after subsequent inspections found that the conditions of cables had worsened at several locations.
In March, contractors began a temporary safety repair that included installation of support rods and brackets to reduce the stress on 19 damaged cables.
While that work is substantially complete, extra rust-proofing as well as weight limit calculations and inspections are now needed before the bridge can reopened, according to information from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
“We understand the importance of the Simon Kenton Bridge to the region,” said Steve Gunnell, Kentucky Department of Highways District 9 chief engineer. “That’s why we’re taking a proactive, safety-first approach to protect motorists and to ensure the bridge remains open with the least amount of future traffic disruption.”
The rust-proofing, which has been added to the repair contract, includes applying a special anti-corrosive coating to steel cables and other components that are showing higher rates of corrosion than expected. It’s hoped that the extra work will slow down deterioration, and reduce the need for further retrofit closures, until longer-term repairs – such as a full cable replacement project – can be planned.
Once rust-proofing and inspections are complete, perhaps as early as the first or second week of May, the Simon Kenton bridge will be reopened. And, it will be restricted to a lower weight limit.
Until then, the bridge remains closed. All U.S. 62 traffic should detour using the William H. Harsha Bridge (U.S. 68) three miles north of Maysville to connect to and from US 52 and US 62 in Ohio.
The suspension bridge was built in 1931. Its main span is 1,060 feet long, and the total length of the bridge is 1,991 feet. The bridge was designed by Modjeski and Masters and was open to traffic on Nov. 25, 1931. While some of the cabling on the bridge may be original, much of it was replaced during previous rehabilitation efforts, officials said.