TRIGG COUNTY, KY (2/8/12) – A Kentucky Transportation Cabinet bridge inspection team plans to rappel down several piers on the US 68/KY 80 Eggners Ferry Bridge on Thursday as part of an ongoing detailed review of the structure.
 
The examination of the piers is to help KYTC engineers further develop about a half-dozen options being considered to replace a 322 ft. span knocked off the bridge the evening of January 26th when it was struck by the cargo ship Delta Mariner.
 
Climb team members plan to take a detailed look at Piers 4, 5, 6, and 7 on Thursday. This will require the inspection team to rappel from the top of each pier cap to the water. The team expects to start their work around 9:00 a.m., CST, if weather conditions permit.
 
The inspectors will be checking the structural integrity of each pier and specifically looking at the construction joint where new pier sections were added to raise the height of the bridge bridge deck when Kentucky Lake was impounded in the mid-1940s.
 
Meanwhile, work continues to provide a reliable power source to the bridge. Transportation Cabinet personnel have been manning two generators to power navigation lights on the western portion of the damaged structure. Power that came from the Trigg County side of the bridge is being temporarily replaced by an electric line from the Marshall County end. A transition to that new power source is expected to be complete by the end of the week.
 
SurfKY News
Information provided by Keith Todd

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