ASHLAND, Ky. — Work to replace a damaged steel beam on Ashland’s 12th Street bridge is now complete, and the Ohio River span has reopened.

The bridge, which carries traffic across the river between U.S. 52 at Ironton-Coal Grove and U.S. 23 in downtown Ashland, was damaged in late May when a truck crashed into the Ohio approach span — bending and twisting a steel support. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet fast-tracked a repair contract and awarded it June 19 to Evers Welding Co. Inc. of Cincinnati.

After several weeks of engineering, finalizing shop drawings, fabricating replacement steel and scheduling roadway and and railroad traffic control, contractors arrived at the bridge Friday and began cutting away the damaged beam. The new beam was installed Saturday, and crews finished painting steel joints and other work Sunday. Highway crews reset traffic signals while temporary traffic controls were removed on the Ohio side, and the bridge reopened shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday.

Some traffic control measures will remain in place for several days, including temporary pavement markings across the 13th Street bridge. Traffic across that bridge will remain restricted to two lanes outbound from Kentucky to Ohio. In addition, the lane restriction on Winchester Avenue (U.S. 23) in Ashland could remain in place for several days. Motorists are advised to drive with caution and watch for changing traffic patterns through next week.

More information may be found online at Transportation.ky.gov/District-9/Pages/Ashland-Bridges.aspx, or at Transportation.ky.gov/District-9 by clicking “Ashland Bridges.”

In addition, motorists may follow District 9 on Facebook at Facebook.com/KYTCDistrict9 or Twitter at Twitter.com/KYTCDistrict9 for updated Ashland bridges information as well as traffic and state highway project information across northeast Kentucky.