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Revision as of 20:09, 27 January 2012

36°46′21″N 88°07′16″W / 36.772408°N 88.120995°W / 36.772408; -88.120995

Eggner Ferry Bridge, also known as Eggner's Ferry Bridge, is a two-lane bridge in Trigg and Marshall County in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The bridge carries US 68 and Kentucky Route 80 across Kentucky Lake.

History

The bridge was built to cross the Tennessee River before Kentucky Lake was planned. It opened to traffic on March 25, 1932.

On July 10, 1943, officials shut the bridge down for five months to build new pilings and raise the structure to make room for Kentucky Lake. A ferry was established to cross the river while the bridge was closed. Kentucky Governor Simeon S. Willis presided over the re-opening of the bridge in February, 1944.

The bridge, plus a sister bridge that crosses nearby Lake Barkley, is slated to be replaced by a tied-arch bridge with four traffic lanes plus a sidewalk and bike path. Construction of the new bridges is scheduled to begin in 2011 as part of an upgrade to the existing 68/80 corridor. The project is expected to be completed in late 2017.

January 2012 incident

The mainspan of the bridge was reported to have partially collapsed after being struck by the cargo vessel Delta Mariner on January 26, 2012. There were no reported injuries, and no vehicles were reported to be on the bridge at the time.

The U.S. Coast Guard reported on January 27 that the Delta Mariner hit the bridge when it tried to pass through what is known as the recreational channel, which has a lower clearance, instead of the shipping channel, which the vessel normally used.

Reports indicate that some of the bridge's navigational lighting was inoperative at the time of the incident. Paducah television station WPSD reported earlier in the week that the bridge was to be reduced to one lane on January 27 for a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) crew to repair the lights. KYTC spokesman Keith Todd stated that the lights facing the MV Delta Mariner were operational, and that the Coast Guard had made the lighting situation known to vessels operating on the waterway.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has announced that the state will immediately review all options for restoring the roadway to service. “We are grateful that this wreck caused no injuries or loss of life. Since that bridge carries 2,800 cars every day, we were very fortunate that no one was on the span at that time,” said Gov. Beshear. “We’ll turn our attention to a full inspection of the bridge and determine what steps we can take next to speed up the replacement of that important artery.”

References

1. "Eggners Ferry Bridge Ribbon Cutting". Explorekentuckylake.com. 1932-03-25. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
2. "Governor Beshear unveils design for US 68 lakes bridges" (Press release). Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. 2009-07-14. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
3. "Eggners Ferry Bridge collapses after barge strike". wpsdlocal6.com. WPSD-TV, Paducah, Ky. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
4. "Eggners Ferry Bridge collapses". wave3.com. WAVE-3, Louisville, Ky. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
5. "Coast Guard Update on Eggner's Ferry Bridge Accident". wkdzradio.com. WKDZ Radio, Cadiz, Ky. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
6. "Keith Todd Interview". wkdzradio.com. WKDZ Radio, Cadiz, Ky. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
7. "Gov. Beshear Directs Immediate Development of Options". thefrontblog.wordpress.com. WKMS Radio, Murray, Ky. Retrieved 27 January 2012.

External links

• Eggner's Ferry Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels
• Eggner's Ferry Bridge at BridgeHunter
• Photo of the bridge's partial collapse along with cargo ship Delta Mariner: http://www.flickr.com/photos/perspectivephotography/6771560903/in/photostream

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