Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Nov. 20, 2020:
Closed I-71/75 bridge expected to reopen around Christmas
Truckers who rely on the Brent Spence Street Bridge to cross from Ohio into northern Kentucky and vice versa along I-71/75 will have to continue taking detours until about Christmas as repairs are made on the double-decker span that was damaged in a truck collision and fire last week.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear Monday said he expects the bridge that carries Interstates 75 and 71 over the Ohio River between Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati to be repaired and reopened to traffic by Dec. 23.
Kentucky Secretary of Transportation Jim Gray said the bridge did not suffer any significant structural damage when two tractor-trailers collided Wednesday, Nov. 11 at about 2:30 a.m. One of the trucks carried potassium hydroxide, which caught fire. The blaze took more than two hours to extinguish.
Until repairs are completed, truckers and others will have to use one of several alternative routes. The detours include:
Gray also signed an order Wednesday, Nov. 18, that contains penalties for truck drivers not following the detours and ending up on local streets.
“The intention is not to penalize drivers but to prohibit large trucks from clogging local streets, creating traffic hazards and congestion,” Gray said. “Diverting drivers onto our established detours will keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible during this limited bridge closure.”
