Construction is about 80 percent complete

Work is continuing at a steady pace on the new Ironton-Russell Bridge.

Kathleen Fuller, the public information officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation District 9, said that following the typical slowdown in construction for the winter, crews have become more active with the arrival of spring.

Fuller said a form traveler, which is used to build the bridge deck, was moved last week from the Kentucky to the Ohio side of the project.

“This will allow us to finish the main span and connect to Kentucky,” she said.

She said work on the Ohio tower was now complete, and that crews would focus on the final segment over the river next.

“The tower is in place, so now we can move forward to connecting to the other side,” she said.

“Basically, at this point, it’s the main segment that needs finished,” she said. “There’s still a long way to go, but it’s 80 percent complete.

She said the goal is to have the bridge open to traffic by the end of the year. That’s the optimistic estimate, though, she said it might be possible that it takes until early 2017.

Fuller said the completion of the entire project, including demolition of the current bridge, is set for later in 2017.