Following emergency repairs by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) District 6 crews, the 12th Street (Girl Scout) Bridge between Covington and Newport has reopened to traffic.
On Monday, KYTC engineers reviewed a potential issue with a bridge joint. Crews closed the bridge shortly after the engineering review out of an abundance of caution to motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.
KYTC District 6 worked quickly to gather the necessary specialized equipment from across the state — including seven hydraulic jacks. Ensuring the bridge could reopen as quickly as possible took a “Team Kentucky” effort.
The specialized pieces of equipment arrived on-site early Tuesday morning and KYTC District 6 Structures Crew began the repair process. The process consisted of using the hydraulic jacks to temporarily lift the bridge, access under the bridge to set the new bridge bearings into place and slowly lower the bridge back into position.
The bridge was closed for approximately 27 hours to ensure a safe area for crews to work. The reopening comes six days ahead of the repair schedule.
Motorists should note the Girl Scout Bridge and the area to the west in Covington has a new roadway reconfiguration that was installed two weeks ago.
The bridge now features one lane of vehicular travel in each direction and a dedicated bicycle lane on each side separated by a buffer that will include vertical delineators.