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Third Round of Bridge Blasting Set for Wednesday

Third Round of Bridge Blasting Set for Wednesday
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By West Kentucky Star Staff
Sep. 29, 2014 | PADUCAH, KY
By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 29, 2014 | 06:56 PM | PADUCAH, KY
A demolition team is set to take down the third and final truss section of the Old Ledbetter Bridge using controlled explosives at 8:00 am Wednesday.

The team will be taking down the center truss section of the 83-year old structure that crosses the main navigation channel of the Tennessee River. Keith Todd with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said the center truss has been pre-cut  in key locations to get ready for blasting, and the contractor started placing explosives at those points today. Todd said explosives have generally been placed the day prior to a detonation, but the contractor decided to start a day earlier due to the potential for delays caused by working over the main navigation channel. As part of the permitting process, the Coast Guard has required the contractor to maintain the flow of river traffic at the site.  The demolition team started loading explosives onto the bridge Monday in case the crane has to stop work for passing tow boat traffic.

There will be a strictly enforced 1500 ft. clear zone around the blast site. Property owners within the clear zone 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.  

A controlled detonation is expected to break the truss into about ten 40 ft. sections and knock the truss from the piers.  The contractor will then start removing the steel from the river in an effort to restore tow boat traffic within 24 hours.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the contractor, and area law enforcement are again making arrangements for the public to observe the detonation from a safe distance. Todd said westbound traffic will be restricted to one lane on the New US 60 Tennessee River Bridge starting at 6:00 am. The public is being asked not to arrive at the site before 6:30 am. The public will be allowed to park along the Livingston county end of westbound approach shoulder to the new bridge, then walk up onto the new bridge to view the controlled detonation. Starting at 6:00 am, all westbound US 60 traffic will be moved to the left-hand or passing lane.  There will be no stopping on the new bridge to assure that traffic flow is maintained. 

Travelers who plan to commute along this route should allow extra travel time on Wednesday. There will be an enhanced enforcement presence in this work zone. 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.  Those who park along Delta Road are asked to please pull off on the shoulder so trucks can maintain access to industries in this area.

After Wednesday's detonation, Todd said two additional blasts will likely be needed to bring down the in-water piers of the old bridge.  There may be a delay of a week or two to allow preparations for those blasts.

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