The Carroll Cropper Bridge, a steel arch truss bridge connecting Boone County to Lawrenceburg, Indiana, will undergo repairs starting on Jan. 20.
Completed in 1977, the Carroll Cropper Bridge is one of many across the country built with T-1 steel – a treated steel known for being highly amenable to welding and machining.
During a 2023 inspection on the Carroll Cropper bridge, engineering firm Michael Baker International tested 600 welds and identified 15 locations that would need future repairs but posed no immediate safety issues.
In December 2024, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet bridge engineering analysis showed that other repairs, unrelated to T-1 steel issues, would be needed for an expansion joint and floor beam. As a result, a reduced weight limit and lane restrictions were put in place as a precaution.
The expansion joint and floor beam repairs have now been added to the T-1 steel project to expedite those repairs. An expansion joint is a component of the bridge deck, or travel surface that allows for thermal expansion and contraction due to changes in weather to prevent concrete from cracking.
Currently, concrete barriers have been added to safeguard contractors and traffic during the emergency repair work, which is slated to continue over the next three to four months. A single-lane closure will be in both directions until repairs are complete.
After the floor beams are placed, KYTC will lift the emergency vehicle weight limit imposed last December.
Starting on Jan. 20, crews will begin testing core samples on the westbound side of the bridge for the T-1 steel repair project. KYTC will provide updates on any future lane closures or traffic impacts related to that bridge repair project. A reduced speed limit of 55 mph is in effect within the project area until repairs are finished.
Overweight and over-dimensional vehicles remain prohibited due to current lane restrictions.
KYTC said motorists should expect lane closures throughout the summer. Weather permitting, the overall project has an expected completion date of summer 2025.