Lowering of towers on the upstream side of the new truss allowed the flotilla to move away from the construction site.(Kentucky Transportation Cabinet photo)

With two of the four jacking towers removed, the flotilla that transported and placed a 700-ft. truss on the new $63 million U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge at Smithland, Ky., has moved away from the construction site. The departure of the flotilla allowed commercial towboat traffic and pleasure boat traffic to resume on the lower Cumberland River at navigation mile point 2.7

An American Bridge Company crew completed the removal of two of the four jacking towers that lifted the 5.1million-lb.-truss into place about 90-ft. above the river. Lowering of towers on the upstream side of the new truss allowed the flotilla to move away from the construction site.

Completion of the work also allowed a lane restriction to be removed from the existing U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge at Smithland — returning traffic to normal flow at the north edge of Smithland.

The truss will have to sit atop the piers for about a month before Jim Smith Contracting (JSC) can start placing a concrete deck on the structure. That work is expected to take about six months which would allow traffic to be moved to the new bridge in late spring of 2023.

American Bridge assembled the 700-ft. blue steel structure on four jumbo barges at the Paducah Riverport, then transported it upstream to the construction site.

To watch videos of the process, visit KYTC's Facebook page: facebook.com/KYTCDistrict1.

Remaining work on the span includes:

• October through November 2022 — prep and start deck concrete pour on main span.
• April through May 2023 — U.S. 60 highway connections final tie-in; traffic moved to new bridge; and demolition of the old bridge.
• June through August 2023 — final roadway driving surface and finish work.

Target completion date for all work is Dec. 1, 2023

The new bridge will have a 40-ft.-wide, two-lane deck with 12-ft. driving lanes and 8-ft. shoulders that will allow clearance for most farm equipment to cross without stopping oncoming traffic.

To aid river navigation on the Cumberland River, the new bridge will have no piers in the water during normal river conditions.

The new bridge will improve a significant cross-country link for U.S. 60 through western Kentucky and a critical connection for local Livingston County traffic. The Cumberland River splits the county, and the bridge is the only direct link for local commuters, commerce, school buses and emergency responders.

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