Part of Kentucky River closed after sidewalk collapse on Frankfort bridge
A portion of the Kentucky River in Frankfort will be closed for one month due to dangerous conditions under the Broadway Bridge, according to Mayor Layne Wilkerson and the Frankfort-Franklin County Office of Emergency Management.
Some of the bridge’s sidewalk collapsed near the riverbank in Riverview Park Sunday, according to emergency management. The United States Coast Guard along with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said the entire width of the river from mile-marker 65.5 to 66 is closed off to boat traffic until Sept. 6.
The coast guard and transportation cabinet are in the process of installing warning buoys, according to emergency management. A section of Riverview Park under the bridge has also been closed to pedestrian travel.
“We are actively working with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the Kentucky River Authority, and the US Coast Guard to minimize the impact of this closure on our boating community, local events, and tourism,” Wilkerson said in a Facebook post.
A 2019 bridge conversion feasibility study determined the bridge is in imminent failure, according to the transportation cabinet. The bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic for over 30 years.
