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brent spence bridge closing
I'm surprised this situation hasn't received national news coverage in the United States, as it is affecting a LOT of people.
On Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 3 a.m., two semi tractor trailers collided on the lower, northbound deck of the Brent Spence Bridge. One of the trucks was carrying chemicals and the two trucks caught fire, a very, very hot fire that was melting the steel on the bridge. The bridge has been shut down since then, and it may be weeks before the bridge is reopened.
This bridge is part of Interstate 75, crossing the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. It is part of the Interstate 75 corridor, which runs between Michigan and Florida. It is a VERY busy bridge with lots of semi traffic from numerous states.
Fortunately, since the accident occurred in the middle of the night on what was actually a holiday (Veterans Day) there was almost no traffic on the bridge at the time, and no one was hurt, not even the truck drivers.
Then the bridge next to it had to be closed. It is a suspension bridge built in the 1860s, and has a weight limit. (If you've seen the movie Rain Man, you've seen this bridge, as Dustin Hoffman hums along to the sound the bridge makes.). Too many semis were using this as a detour, endangering the bridge.
Now the river traffic underneath the Brent Spence has been discontinued because the bridge overhead is not yet determined to be safe.
Why does this concern more than Greater Cincinnati? If you are a semi or other type of delivery truck, or the post office or another delivery company, you have to find long detours around this situation. And if you are a barge traveling between Pittsburgh and New Orleans, you will get stopped in Cincinnati and not be able to move.
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