Downtown Frankfort bridge shut down because of ‘significant structural deterioration’
Downtown Frankfort’s “Singing Bridge” has been closed to traffic “due to structural safety concerns,” the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced Friday.
The cabinet said the bridge was being closed until further notice “as a precaution to ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians.”
“The recent routine inspection of the 130-year-old bridge found significant structural deterioration that affects the bridge’s weight-carrying capacity, prompting state engineers to close the bridge immediately to vehicles and pedestrians,” the Transportation Cabinet said in a Facebook post.
About 3,400 vehicles use the bridge each day to cross the Kentucky River via U.S. 60X, the Transportation Cabinet said. Its weight limit was set at 4 tons after a 2022 inspection.
There is no time frame for when the bridge will reopen.
“Further assessments and evaluations are needed to determine the next steps,” the social media post stated.
While the bridge is closed, the cabinet suggested that motorists use the U.S. 60 bridge on Capitol Avenue.
Pedestrian traffic can use the east side of the Capital Avenue/War Mother’s Memorial Bridge, Frankfort City Hall said in a Facebook post.
“The City of Frankfort understands the closure of the Singing Bridge puts a significant strain on pedestrian traffic and is actively working on solutions,” the post stated.
It’s the second time this month that a bridge has caused safety concerns for Kentucky’s capital city.
Part of the sidewalk on the Broadway Bridge in Frankfort collapsed, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to close the Kentucky River to boat traffic in that area from Aug. 7 through Sept. 6.
The Broadway Bridge has been closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic for years and is in “’imminent’ failure condition,” 2019 study found.
The Transportation Cabinet said the City of Frankfort is working with state officials on a plan to “create a rehabilitated pedestrian crossing at Broadway Bridge on new piers and would also incorporate the historic steel truss span of the existing structure.”
