Maintenance project to take two months

ASHLAND — A tentative date has been set for the closure of a bridge into Ashland, Kentucky.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said that weather and construction schedules permitting, on Sept. 9, contractors plan to begin the $1 million preventive maintenance project on the green 12th Street bridge that will require a two-month closure of the Ohio River crossing. The project is scheduled to be completed by Nov. 15.

Traffic in and out of Ashland will be detoured to the blue 13th Street bridge. Contractors will start work the conversion process by repainting traffic lanes and reconfiguring traffic islands and signals at intersections on both sides of the river.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said that closing the bridge is the safest option for both motorists and contractors, since the structure is too narrow to work in one lane while traffic is flowing in the other lane. It added that the closure would shorten the repair time.

The traffic changes will be similar to the detours established when the 12th Street bridge was repaired in 2013 after a truck damaged a support beam.

The full traffic switch, that is when two-way traffic will begin flowing across the 13th Street Bridge, is tentatively set to occur some time Sept. 10. Prior to those start dates, specific schedules and traffic changes will be announced.

The maintenance project includes a new concrete driving surface, new connecting joints and other repairs to the 1930s-era green bridge that will help ensure its continued longevity.

In June, the Transportation Cabinet awarded a $988,948 contract to Delong Concrete LLC of Lexington for the work.