US 51 Ohio River 'Cairo' Bridge now open
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CAIRO, IL (KFVS) - Officials with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said the U.S. 51 Ohio (Cairo) River Bridge between Wickliffe, Kentucky and Cairo, Illinois is now open after it closed on Friday, March 2 due to flooding.
The bridge officially opened at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 8.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet engineers spent much of the day checking and repairing the levee at the Kentucky end of the bridge where floodwaters closed US 51 at the 7-mile marker almost a week ago.
KY highway personnel spent much of the day clearing drift and checking the levee and roadway for possible damage caused by the floodwaters.
US 51 was cleared of debris by about 3:00 p.m. and a final check of the levee determined the roadway was safe for traffic.
The bridge is an important corridor for commerce between Kentucky, Illinois, and nearby Missouri. The US 51 Ohio River " Cairo" Bridge carries north-south traffic between Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee on US 51. It also carries east-west traffic on US 60 and US 62 between Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri.
About 4700 vehicles cross the bridge between Wickliffe, KY, and Cairo, IL, in an average day.
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