Work on the southbound U.S. 41 bridge will begin Tuesday, Sept. 9, and will last through Oct. 18, said the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in a release made Friday night.
The good news for motorists coming to and from Henderson is that the KYTC has scheduled the work to be conducted at night from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m.
During the work time, the southbound bridge will be restricted to one lane, KYTC said.
At this time, there is no plan to alter traffic onto the northbound bridge, said the release.
The release also said that engineers will be monitoring traffic flows as the work continues and will have some flexibility to adjust the daily lane closure times if that becomes necessary.
This project consists primarily of repairs to issues found during a specialized T-1 steel inspection conducted in late 2024, said KYTC.
Unlike the normal biannual inspections of the bridge, these Federal Highway Administration-mandated inspections are meant to identify, inspect and test specific bridge components in T-1 steel bridges to verify the soundness of all butt welds with the use of non-destructive testing.
T-1 steel—a grade of high-strength, quenched and treated steel known for being highly amenable to welding and machining—is no longer used in bridge construction but was used regularly in the 1950s and 1960s around the country, and was used in the construction of the southbound bridge in 1965.
The northbound bridge, built in 1932, was not constructed with this material, said KYTC.
KYTC also said it is aware of a discrepancy on the message boards placed near the Twin Bridges in Henderson on Wednesday, Aug. 27. The boards were activated before programming was complete and incorrectly listed the construction start date as Sept. 15. Originally the project was slated to begin Sept. 8 but was delayed one day to Sept. 9, said KYTC.
