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| PHOTO COURTESY OF KENTUCKY TRANSPORTATION CABINET |
Sensors placed on the bridge by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet indicated movement at about 5:15 a.m. A neighbor reported two distinct sounds came from the 83-year-old structure about that time.
A check of the bridge found South Pier 2 had apparently moved causing about a foot drop in the approach span deck above.
Inspectors indicate the girder that sits on top of the pier on the upstream side is hanging on by just inches. While decking on the three approach spans remains standing, they have dropped several feet since movement along the bluff at the west end of the bridge was discovered on April 30. Two land-based piers are leaning toward the west end of the bridge.
Engineers say with dry weather movement of the bluff beneath the piers would be expected to slow or stop. However, today's drop indicates there is still movement of soil at the base of the two approach piers on the McCracken County side of the Tennessee River.
Kentucky Transportation officials continue to warn the public to avoid areas along the bluff and Tennessee River shoreline near the bridge.
This week a contractor started moving equipment to the bridge site to prepare to start demolition of the structure which closed to traffic in late-July 2013.
Also known as the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, The Old Ledbetter Bridge was opened to traffic in 1931. It has been closed since traffic moved to the New U.S. 60 Tennessee River Bridge at the end of July 2013.
