The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is moving ahead on a zone painting project on the Carroll Cropper Bridge that aims to minimize future traffic interruptions.
The bridge connects Kentucky and Indiana across the Ohio River in Boone County. Due to the bridge’s age and condition, KYTC wants to keep the crossing in good shape before the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project.
Zone painting targets specific areas where existing paint has deteriorated, including floor beams and sections beneath joints. Only the eastbound lanes from Indiana to Kentucky will remain closed throughout the project, which is scheduled to finish by March 31, 2026, weather permitting. Southern Road & Bridge LLC holds the roughly $2.5 million contract.
The painting crews are working alongside a separate contractor already on-site to complete floor beam repairs. State officials say that coordinating both efforts should shorten the overall timeline and allow the bridge to reopen sooner. Westbound lanes are expected to fully reopen by Dec. 31.
In 2023, a federally mandated T-1 steel inspection identified 88 areas of the bridge needing future repairs, but that did not pose an immediate safety concern.
A routine inspection in 2024 later found two areas needing immediate attention: expansion joints and floor beams. KYTC reduced traffic to a single lane in each direction to prevent further deterioration.
The steel repairs wrapped up in summer 2025, followed by expansion joint repairs in the fall. Work on floor beams began after design reviews and site preparation, with shoring beams and work platforms installed beneath the bridge.