The Brent Spence Bridge is the Ohio River crossing point for Interstates 71 and 75.
As for why all of the references to Kentucky in this and not Ohio? The border between the states is the 1792 low water line on the north bank, meaning most of the river, and ergo most of the bridges are in Kentucky, and not Ohio.
Other reports indicate that the US Coast Guard had close the Ohio River under the Brent Spence Bridge.Cincinnati.com wrote:Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday's fiery crash on the Brent Spence Bridge should be an impetus for Ohio and Kentucky coming together to get the long-promised expansion project completed.
Beshear said that inspectors made it on to the bridge Thursday morning to begin an examination of the damage the collision between two trucks caused.
"The detailed inspection process will take several days," Beshear said.
After the inspection process, a repair plan will be formulated. Beshear said there is visible damage to the steel and concrete structures on the bridge and the materials must all be tested.
Engineering firms and experts have been retained to make all the assessments.
Beshear will hold another press conference at 2:30 p.m. to release more information about the bridge.
He would not speculate about whether the proposed expansion of the bridge would have prevented the crash, but said it was time to get the project moving.
"I hope this creates an additional impetus for the community. The communities on both sides of the bridge have to come together for us to have a path forward," Beshear said. "The disruption...ought to make us all take look and take a look and say 'what more is everyone one willing to sacrifice or change or reconsider to get the project up and moving forward.' "
Here's what we know Thursday about the incident, which is poised to cause traffic problems for days or weeks throughout the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky regions.
911 calls released
The driver of the truck the burst into flames told 911 dispactchers that he didn't have time to grab the HAZMAT paperwork before jumping out of the vehicle.
The Driver's 911 calls from the crash on the northbound deck of Brent Spence Bridge describe moments of chaos as they try to distance themselves from the crash.
The Old Dominion semi driver who crashed into a jackknifed truck tells dispatchers that he's carrying Hazmat but does not what it was.
"My truck's on fire big time," he said. "God almighty."
What happened?
A truck hauling potassium hydroxide and an unknown amount of diesel fuel crashed into a jackknifed truck, catching fire, at 2:45 a.m. Wednesday on the northbound deck of Brent Spence Bridge, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Covington police said.
Police said the fire, which lasted for two hours, also damaged the upper deck of the bridge which contains the southbound lanes of the highway.
The potassium hydroxide contributed to the heat and duration of the fire, Covington Lt. Col. Brian Valenti said. Officials said the blaze reached 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to melt asphalt and some steels. No one was injured.
How long will the Brent Spence Bridge be closed?
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the Brent Spence Bridge will be closed for several days, possibly weeks.
The bridge is closed to all traffic. Northbound Interstate 71/75 in Kentucky is closed at Interstate 275, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
Beshear said he believes the bridge can be repaired, but he is not sure how long that will take.
"This is a very important bridge, not just for the region, but for the nation," Beshear said. He added that once the bridge is repaired, he would not reopen it until it is safe enough for him to "take my own family across it."
What is happening today?
Physical inspections of the bridge will begin Thursday morning.
Inspections were initially delayed because the scene was too hot due to the intense fire that occurred Wednesday morning. Later in the afternoon, Beshear said debris was the problem blocking the beginning of inspections.
KYTC said the remaining debris has been removed from the bridge as of 9:45 a.m.
Representatives from the transportation cabinet, the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration are on the bridge. Officials said an inspection will begin soon.
Kenton County declares state of emergency
Kris Knochelmann, Judge-Executive of Kenton County, has declared a local state of emergency after the crash.
The crash has caused a disruption to "vital services within this regional area, to include medical, educational, utilities and basic human needs" and "has adversely impacted the movement of goods and commodities within interstate commerce."
"The duration of this disruption will continue into the foreseeable future until the damaged portion of the Brent Spence Bridge is replaced and/or repaired," the order stated.
The order said the county will provide assistance to federal and state organizations working on the bridge. It also waives procedures and formalities when entering contracts, hiring workers and using public funds.
Why is the Roebling Bridge closed?
The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge is now closed indefinitely “due to numerous and continued violations of the bridge’s weight limits," Covington Police announced late Wednesday.
When the Brent Spence Bridge closed awaiting inspection and repairs, some vehicles rerouted to the Roebling. But the Roebling, a historic bridge opened in 1867, has an 11-ton weight limit that was put in place after a 2007 inspection.
Covington Police posted Wednesday evening stating they would "aggressively and strictly" enforce the weight limit; and a couple of hours later announced the bridge was closed completely.
What detours are available?
Traffic, in the meantime, is being routed off onto northbound I-71/75 at the I-275 in Kentucky exit until further notice.
Expect other major delays on this major artery connecting downtown Cincinnati with Northern Kentucky across the Ohio River.
Drivers can use I-471, I-71, I-74, I-275 and U.S. 50 to avoid the closure.
The Clay Wade Bailey Bridge, the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge also known as the Big Mac bridge, and the Taylor Southgate Bridge are open to cross the river.
For those going out of the way to cross the river, there could be some snags in Maysville. The Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge will be closed for a special inspection from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet tweeted the news this morning about the bridge that carries U.S. 62 across the Ohio River between Maysville, Kentucky, and Aberdeen, Ohio. Motorists can detour around the bridge using the William Harsha Bridge, which carries U.S. 68 between Maysville and Aberdeen.
Other traffic delays
As of 8:45 a.m., Southbound I-71 in Hamilton County has reopened south of Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway after a multivehicle accident.
Enquirer media partner Fox 19 reported One driver went to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center with a head injury, but he is expected to recover, Hamilton County dispatchers say.
The crash was reported about 6:48 a.m. and may involve up to four vehicles, dispatchers say.
To be clear, the Clay Wade Bailey - not a bailey bridge, but a 3-lane (center lane reversible), 46 year old steel-truss cantilever bridge has remained open the entire time. This bridge is on the same piers as the C&O railroad bridge. The timeline for this is a bit odd, so first they built the original C&O railroad bridge in the 1880s. It was obsolete by the 1920s, so a second Bridge was built on an extended southern pier and a new, further north northern pier. The original 1880s rail bridge was then converted to auto/truck traffic, and served until 1970, when it was removed. A new bridge - the current Clay Wade Bailey - was then built on the extended southern pier, and closer-to-shore northern pier that the second (1920s and current) C&O railroad bridge uses (this widened the channel relative to the 1880s piers).
With the aforementioned status of the Reobling, this will remain the only commercial link between Covington and Cincinnati. East of the Licking River (and thus connecting Newport with Cincinnati) are the Taylor-Southgate bridge (4 lanes, 25 years old, continuous steel truss), and the Daniel Carter Beard bridge (8 lanes, 45 years old, steel bowstring arch) which carries I-471.
Earlier this year, on two different occasions the Ohio river was closed at Louisville for five days each, so that teams could conduct repairs to a different bridge. (Link)
That said in all of this? screw you, and your wife Mitch.
