COVINGTON, Ky. — Following a crash and intense fire on Brent Spence Bridge Wednesday morning, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) officials and the U.S. Coast Guard reopened the Ohio River to navigational traffic Saturday.
What You Need To Know
- Ohio River reopened to navigational traffic Saturday
- River closed Friday while engineers tested steel samples
- Testing confirmed the steel maintained its integrity
The river was closed Friday night while engineers sent steel samples to a metallurgical laboratory in Louisville for analysis to ensure the metal was not compromised at a chemical level.
"The lab testing, together with testing of the metal’s hardness that specialists conducted on site today, confirmed the components maintained their integrity, and therefore KYTC officials recommended to the Coast Guard that the river be reopened," said a press release from KYTC.
The bridge remains closed to motor vehicle traffic. The crash involved two commercial motor vehicles around 2:45 a.m. Wednesday. Roughly 20 inspectors and engineers began examining and conducting testing on damaged areas of the bridge Thursday.