From Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Department of Highways District 3 (Aug. 18, 2010):

Aberdeen Bridge in Butler County to be CLOSED
Maintenance work requires complete shutdown

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – (August 18, 2010) The Department of Highways District 3 Office advises motorists to prepare for the closure of the Aberdeen Bridge on Tuesday, September 7.

Located on US 231 just north of Morgantown, the bridge closure will remain in place for approximately 55 days while Hall Contracting of Kentucky performs a complete deck replacement. Due to the nature of the work required for this maintenance work, the bridge will have to be completely shut down.

The work will involve the complete removal of the deck or top layer of the bridge. The bridge piers and beams will not be replaced.

Detour routes will be set up and signed prior to the closure. Pamphlets and other information documents illustrating these routes will be made available to the public at government agencies and other locations in Morgantown.

Inspections last winter combined with further investigation by engineers determined that the bridge required a complete deck replacement in order to maintain the level of safety necessary to continue the transport of nearly 8,300 vehicles that cross the bridge on a daily basis.

Natural weathering processes and age combined with the high volume of traffic and the use of chemicals for snow removal have caused the concrete on the deck to deteriorate.

The improvements will give approximately two and a half more feet on each side making it safer for motorists as well as provide more room for emergency service personnel who have to work crashes on the bridge. In addition, the railings along the sides of the bridge will be replaced with more crash-worthy concrete barrier walls, similar to what is on the interstate.

The use of current bridge construction standards will result in epoxy coated rebar, something that was not available 60 years ago when the bridge was originally constructed. This type of treatment will further extend the life of the bridge for future generations. Aside from general maintenance work, the bridge will not require any major renovations for the next 25-30 years.

Painting of the bridge will occur after the deck is replaced and will take approximately six months but will be accomplished by closing one lane of the bridge at a time with the use of a temporary signal at each end of the bridge. There is currently no set schedule for the painting portion of this project but it will require warm temperatures.

For additional information regarding this project, please contact Bryan Dye at 270-792-9470.

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