PADUCAH — We reported that data from the National Bridge Inventory identified 308 bridges in west Kentucky that needed repair or replacement on Thursday, Dec. 12. While 308 bridges need “repair or corrective action” is correct, an additional 61 bridges are in “poor condition” or structurally deficient, meaning 369 total bridges require work.
Of those, 128 are the responsibility of local city or county governments, with 241 being the responsibility of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The cabinet started discussing the issue on Friday, Dec. 13, about available solutions.
The bridge crossing Interstate 24 has a large amount of traffic. This bridge is in “good” condition, although around 17 percent of west Kentucky bridges are not.
Kyle Poat is the Chief Engineer for KYTC District 1 and said while many bridges in the area are in poor condition, they have taken steps to ensure they are safe for the traveling public. He said the problem is aging infrastructure.
“We have an aging infrastructure all the way around, but whenever you drill that down to bridges, specifically, a lot of the bridges that exist—especially out on your county roads, some state roads as well—are what we call a timber pile type structure,” Poat said. “So those were built 30/40 plus years ago, and at the time, were a very quick and relatively inexpensive type structure to be able to construct.”
Today, they’ve aged out, and the cabinet has to take proactive measures to keep the bridges safe, like imposing enhanced weight restrictions or, in some cases, closing down bridges.
The bridge crossing Interstate 24 has a large amount of traffic. This bridge is in “good” condition.
Poat said replacing or repairing the bridges simultaneously is not feasible for several reasons, including limited money and resources, but he said there is good news on the horizon.
“There is a new program that was set aside with this most recent legislative session, called the County-City Bridge Improvement Program,” Poat said. “That program put aside $50 million, $25 [million] in each fiscal year.”
Poat said over the last six weeks, KYTC has been working with local counties to submit approximately 20 bridges that would be able to be funded through the program.
File Photo: KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Kyle Poat said they will be beginning improvements next month on four bridges in west Kentucky.
He also said his office has been able to budget in a way that will allow work on four bridge projects managed by the cabinet: three in Fulton and one in Hickman. Those projects are expected to start in January.
As the Transportation Cabinet and local leaders work to fix the aging infrastructure, one simple thing drivers can do to lengthen the life of the bridges is pay attention to weight limits, which are posted on most bridges throughout the Commonwealth.