The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has announced a major milestone toward construction of a modern, signature bridge to connect Newport and Covington.
A controlled blast to demolish the existing KY 8 Licking River Bridge is scheduled Monday, March 2, and authorities have worked to safely secure areas around the zone to protect the public.
A controlled blast is the safest way to demolish an old bridge and make way for a new one.
“This type of controlled demolition is a common practice for large structures to reduce risk to work crews by minimizing their exposure to hazardous work compared to removing heavy steel piece by piece,” said Bob Yeager, KYTC District 6 Chief District Engineer.
Crews will place carefully engineered charges at specific locations on the bridge to cleanly sever steel supports so the structure can fall safely into the river below where contractors will recover the steel.
The January closure of the bridge paired with the controlled blasting operations is expected to shave one-year of construction time off the project.
Blasting operations are expected to begin at 9 a.m. as local authorities begin a full pedestrian sweep within a 1,000-foot perimeter called a ‘secure zone.’ The blast is expected to take place at 10:01 a.m.
Only authorized personnel will be allowed outside within the secure zone in the half-hour leading up to the blast. KYTC is coordinating with law enforcement in Covington and Newport to ensure nobody is outside within the secure area at the time of the blast.
Homeowners who live within the secure zone will be allowed to remain inside their homes during the blasting operation.
At approximately 9:40 a.m. on Monday, March 2, law enforcement will close all roads within the secure zone. This closure will remain in place until the “all clear” is provided by the contractor. The contractor, law enforcement and emergency personnel will be stationed throughout the zone to ensure no one enters until it is safe.
Additionally, Riverboat Row in Newport will be closed to the public on Sunday night, March 1, until 11 a.m. on Monday, March 2.
Following the blasting operations, crews will work for the following four days to remove all steel from the Licking River. The Licking River will be closed to all traffic during that time.
Details related to parking for media and a media staging area will be released in the days leading up to the demolition of the bridge.
For more information related to the blasting operations, along with a frequently asked questions for demolition day, check out the project website.
Weather permitting, the replacement bridge is expected to open to the public Summer 2028. The overall project is expected to be completed Fall 2028.