WBON-TV9’s Brett Noland spoke with Estill County Judge Executive Donnie Watson today, in regards to conflicting reports on when the old green Irvine bridge is expected to be temporarily re opened again from its current closure due to renovation.
Initially the bridge was supposed to have reopened on 12/31/2021, but according to Watson, due to various weather events and the discovery of further structural damage, the reopening was delayed. Watson stated that he spoke to the KY Transportation/Highway Department today and they relayed to him that the bridge could possibly be opened back up as early as noon this coming Friday, February 11th.. However, it is dependent upon the outcome of concrete testing scheduled to happen early this Friday, February 11th. According to Watson, the last concrete pour is currently in process today, and on Friday, crews will be performing a cylinder test which consists of them filling a cylinder with the concrete used for repairs and then breaking it in order to confirm it meets all structural integrity and safety requirements. If said concrete passes this test and everything goes according to plan, Watson says they plan to reopen the bridge to normal traffic flow around noon this Friday, February 11th.
Watson stated that although he is uncertain of the exact date, current plans indicate that the bridge will be reclosed again around 04/01/2022 (weather permitting) for sandblasting and painting. Furthermore, due to the complicated nature of the repainting, this final closure is expected to last 3 months or possibly longer.
