When the explosives are ignited on Tuesday morning, an 83-year-old landmark will fall in pieces on the bank of the Tennessee River.
The old Ledbetter Bridge, also known as the George Rogers Clark bridge connecting McCracken County to Livingston County between Paducah and Ledbetter was opened to traffic in 1931, making it 83 years old. The old bridge was at US 60 Livingston County mile point 0.0 and McCracken County mile point 19.718. When it closed at the end of July 2013, it was carrying approximately 7,800 vehicles across the Tennessee River in an average day.
The Old Ledbetter Bridge was an engineering marvel at the time it was constructed. In 1931 the average vehicle on the road was a Model "A" Ford and the largest truck had a gross weight of about 28 tons or 56,000 pounds.
The original toll card indicated vehicles were 25 cents for up to 6 passengers, vehicles hauling 7 or more passengers were 35 cents, and “livestock on the hoof” was 5 cents a head.
On March 11, 1952, a gasoline truck crashed and burned on the Livingston approach, damaging two approach spans. The bridge was closed for several months to allow repairs. Ferry service was temporarily restored between Livingston Point and the Paducah side of the river during that closure.
In January 2012, the Old Ledbetter Bridge had to be reduced to a 3-ton load limit due to deterioration of a section of the bridge structure. KYTC engineers developed an accelerated plan to move traffic to the new bridge. The new bridge opened on July 31, 2013, a full 11 months ahead of the original construction schedule.
On April 30, KYTC inspectors received a report that the approach span on the McCracken County side of the river had dropped several inches. A check of the bridge found that a section of the bluff along the McCracken side of the Tennessee River near the bridge was moving and had pushed two land-based piers toward the river. The bluff continued moving causing the approach spans to gradually drop. The 2 approach spans collapsed the morning of June 22, 2014.
KYTC moved to expedite a contract to demolish the Old Ledbetter Bridge. Kay & Kay/Hayden Bridge Joint venture have a $5.6 million contract to take down the structure. They are being assisted by C.J. Mahan Construction.
The contractor plans to bring down a truss section of the Old Ledbetter Bridge with the use of controlled explosives at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 16, subject to weather and other conditions.
The contractor has been cutting the truss on the McCracken County side of the Tennessee River in key locations. The cuts will allow the truss to break into about ten 40-foot sections when controlled explosions knock the truss from the piers.
There will be a strictly enforced 1500 ft. clear zone around the blast site. A map of the clear zone is attached. Property owners can stay in their homes, but cannot go outdoors in the hour prior to the blast. The U.S. Coast Guard will halt traffic on the river about an hour prior to the blast.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the contractor, and area law enforcement are making arrangements for the public to observe the detonation from a safe distance.
Westbound traffic will be restricted to one lane on the New US 60 Tennessee River Bridge starting at 6:00 a.m., CDT, Tuesday. The public is asked not to arrive at the site before 6:30 a.m. The public will be allowed to park along the westbound approach shoulder to the new bridge, then walk up onto the new bridge to view the controlled explosion.
Starting at 6:00 a.m., CDT, on Tuesday, all westbound US 60 traffic will be moved to the left-hand or passing lane and will remain open. There will be no stopping or parking on the new bridge to assure that traffic flow is maintained. Motorists who commute along this route should allow extra travel time on Tuesday.
Should parking fill up along the westbound approach to the new bridge, the public may also observe the detonation from Delta Road on the Livingston County side of the river between Old US 60 and the Livingston Point Grain Elevator. If you park along Delta Road please pull off on the shoulder so trucks can maintain access.
Should a delay in the blast plan be necessary it will be posted at www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict1. You do not have to be a Facebook member to visit this page.
Following the detonation planned for Tuesday, two more controlled explosions will be required to bring down the other two main truss spans. Those blasts, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 23 and Sept. 30 will be followed by about two additional detonations to bring down the concrete piers.
