I-24 bridge back open after multi-vehicle crash; Brookport bridge backed up for hours too

The eastbound lane on the Interstate 24 Ohio River Bridge from Metropolis into Paducah was blocked for more than three hours after a multi-vehicle crash on Friday afternoon, causing overflow traffic to cause the Brookport bridge to be jammed for much of the afternoon.

The chain-reaction crash in the interstate construction zone occurred around 3 p.m. and wasn't cleared until 5:30. Then it took over an hour more for the line of traffic backed up nearly to the Big Bay exit of Massac County to filter through into Kentucky.

Drivers quickly diverted toward the Brookport bridge, and that single-lane route quickly filled beyond capacity. Those cars were also backed up for several miles, with wait times of more than an hour to cross over. Several semis, oversize campers and tour buses had to be turned around in the city of Brookport and re-routed back to the interstate. Oversized vehicles are not allowed on the 90-year-old bridge.

While no time is a good time for a pileup, Friday afternoon is particularly bad for I-24 when local traffic is compounded by an influx of Midwesterners heading south every weekend, especially now for spring and summer vacations.

This scenario is bound to be repeated now that K-rails are set in both directions of the I-24 bridge and full-blown repairs ramp up through October, then again next year through the fall of 2027.