Media Advisory
June 6, 2008

The contractor on the US 41 Twin Bridges rehab project has made "good progress" this year accordiing to an update provided to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet on the two-year long painting and maintenance project.

According to KYTC Public Information Officer Keith Todd, once sand blasting and initial painting is nearing complletion. Touch up work on the southbound bridge will require a minimum of about six to seven weeks to complete. That would compute to a project completion date of sometime around the middle of August. However, he noted that rough estimate is largely contingent on the weather.

The contractor has lost five days of work time in the last two weeks due to high winds and rain. Today, the painting crew had to repair and replace tarps on the containment structure that were ripped up by high winds early Wednesday. Last year extremely dry weather allowed the project to advance ahead of schedule. Todd emphasized that the estimated completion date of sometime in August is tentative and subject to change due to weather.

On behalf od transportation officials Todd expressed appreciation for the level of cooperation offered by regular commuters crossing the Twin Bridges. He says most motorists have been obeying the strict 35 mile per hour speed limit in the bridge work zone. During one week this spring police wrote only four speeding tickets in the work zone. However, he says citation numbers have rebounded some in recent weeks..

Motorists cited for speeding, aggressive driving, and lane changes in the work zone are subject to a minimum $300 fine.

About the only problem has come from people running out of gas in the work zone. Todd emphasized that motorists should avoid crossing the bridges if they are running on fumes. He advised motorists to put in a few bucks of gas before crossing the bridges if there was any chance they might run out in the work zone. He noted that anytime vehicles stop in the work zone they create a situation that is hazardous to themselves, other motorists, and to emergency workers who have to respond.

Keith Todd
KYTC
270-210-8009