Bridge over dam will closed 3 weeks

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. — A contractor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to temporarily close US 62 and US 641 across Kentucky Dam starting Wednesday, September 9.  The closure is to allow preliminary road work required to eventually tie in a new Tennessee River Bridge being constructed below the dam.

 

US 62 and US 641 will be closed from the US 641/KY 282 Interchange at US 62 mile point 11.023 at the west end of the dam to the KY 453/Dover Road Interchange near the 1 mile marker in Livingston County.   The closure is scheduled to start at approximately 8: a.m., on Wednesday.  The temporary closure is expected to be in place about 3 weeks. A marked detour will be provided via Interstate 24.

 

The closure extends a 2.3 mile trip across the dam by about six miles along a detour via I-24 and KY 453.  The detour adds about six minutes of travel time for commuters.

 

Approximately 6,000 vehicles cross the Tennessee River/Kentucky Lake along US 62 and US 641 via Kentucky Dam in an average day. Completing highway connections will require another temporary closure sometime later in the year to be prepared for opening of the new bridge in Spring of 2010.

 

US 62 and US 641 currently travel atop Kentucky Dam to cross the Tennessee River.  Traffic is being moved to the new bridge to prepare for future construction of a new lock at the east end of Kentucky Dam.  The project also includes moving P&L Railroad tracks off the dam and over to a new railroad bridge that runs parallel to the new highway river crossing.

 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Engineer Tony Ellis says to stay on track to open the bridge in the Spring of 2010, the preliminary road work for the approaches has to be completed this fall.

 

US 62/US 641 traffic will detour via Interstate 24 and KY 453 between Grand Rivers andKentucky Dam Village State Park at Gilbertsville.  Weather permitting, the work is expected to take about three weeks to complete.  Jim Smith Contracting of Grand Rivers is the contractor for the bridge approach work.