Work on Cairo Bridge to Start In July

A contractor for the Cairo bridge project has asked that work on the on the structure be delayed until after July 7, so that trucking and supply companies affected by the work can have plenty of time to prepare alternate routes.

The bridge carries US 60 and 62 between Kentucky and Illinois. It then connects with the Mississippi River bridge, which carries traffic between Illinois and Missouri.

Commercial trucks make up about 35-percent of traffic on the bridge. The work will turn a six-mile trip into an 80-mile trip for truckers, as a seven-foot maximum load width will be strictly enforced.

KentuckyTransportation Cabinet spokesman Keith Todd acknowledges the "major inconvenience for area shippers", but says the work is required to maintain the long-term reliability of the river crossing. Todd says repairs include seven joints on the bridge decking, and bridge deck repairs.

Steel for the project is currently being manufactured. A mid-September completion date is contained in the contract.

The bridge originally opened to traffic November 11, 1936.