NEWPORT, Ky. — Crews repairing the I-471 Daniel Carter Beard Bridge met a significant milestone Monday. 

What You Need To Know

  • Crews have started installing new girders on the I-471 Daniel Carter Beard Bridge  

  • Two more are arriving Monday night, which will be installed Tuesday, before another two will be installed Wednesday 

  • Southbound lanes of the bridge have been closed since a Nov. 1 fire caused significant damage 

  • Crews are working aggressively to reopen traffic on the southbound lanes by early March

The important bridge connects northern Kentucky to downtown Cincinnati, but the southbound lanes have been closed since a Nov. 1 fire around a playground under the bridge warped the steel girders. 

The largest of three massive steel girders was more than 98 feet and weighed close to 27,000 pounds. It wasn’t easy making them or transporting them to be installed on the "Big Mac" Bridge, as it’s known locally, but the girders arrived Sunday evening.

“This is basically the first major step, or the key step, to getting the rebuild done and the restoration done for the bridge,” said Kathleen Fuller, Ohio Department of Transportation District 8 public information officer. 

Fuller said two more were arriving Monday night and would be installed Tuesday, with another two getting installed Wednesday. 

But after they’re all in place, there will still be a lot of steel work left.

“Right now, the plan is for the iron workers to be working 24/7 for the next week,” Fuller said.

The next steps include putting in rebar, building forms and pouring the concrete deck, which won’t be easy either during extreme cold.

“This isn’t the type of work we do in the winter months," Fuller said. "We don’t typically pour concrete decks in the winter." 

She said crews are working aggressively to reopen traffic on the southbound lanes by early March. They’ve been closed since the fire, which led to four arrests. The impacts have been felt all over the region, with several drivers diverting through downtown Cincinnati streets to get to other bridges. 

“Obviously, it’s been tremendous to the motorists, it’s tremendous to the residents, to the businesses in northern Kentucky because this is a commuter bridge that sees a lot of traffic," Fuller said. "Thousands upon thousands of motorists use this bridge every day." 

The current projected cost of the project is north of $10.5 million. ODOT will apply for federal reimbursements when the bridge work is complete. 

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