Old US 60 Cumberland River bridge demolished; new bridge back open

TRAFFIC NOTE: The new U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge reopened Thursday to one lane traffic controlled by an automated signal. The bridge is expected to be restricted to one lane through about 5 p.m. Friday. One lane traffic is required while work to remove the truss of the old bridge from the Cumberland River is ongoing.


The old Cumberland River Bridge on US 60 at Smithland was demolished Thursday morning.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Jim Smith Contracting, and their partners set off the explosive charges just after 9 a.m. to drop the 500-foot span into the river. A barge-mounted crane will work for the next couple of days to recover the steel from the river so marine traffic can resume.

The Lucy Jefferson Lewis Memorial Bridge stood for 92 years. The old bridge was named for the younger sister of Thomas Jefferson. After marrying Charles Lewis, a relative of Meriwether Lewis, in 1769, the two settled in Livingston County sometime around 1806. 

The new US 60 Jim R. Smith Memorial Bridge at Smithland opened to traffic on May 15th. The new bridge is named in honor of Jim R. Smith, a Livingston County native, whose company, now run by his son Rex, was the lead contractor on the construction project. 





Photos courtesy of Crystal Jennings of Smithland, shared via Facebook