Highway crews converting 13th Street bridge to carry two-way traffic following 12th Street bridge closure at Ashland

 

 

 

ASHLAND, Ky. – The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is temporarily converting Ashland’s 13th Street (Simeon Willis) Bridge to two-way traffic while engineers seek a permanent fix for the damaged 12th Street bridge.

 

 

One inbound lane for traffic traveling from Ohio to Kentucky and two outbound lanes for Kentucky to Ohio traffic should be operational by later this evening.

 

 

Motorists should watch for the following traffic patterns:

 

 

– Traffic on US 52 in Ohio will take the Ashland exit, pass the closed 12th Street bridge, and turn right onto the 13th Street bridge. Cones will mark the lane to US 23-Winchester Avenue where all traffic must turn right. Northbound US 23 vehicles may continue straight and southbound US 23 traffic can take the truck detour using Greenup Avenue.

 

 

– Southbound traffic on US 23-Winchester Avenue will be restricted to one left-turn lane where they can turn left onto the 13th Street bridge. (The dedicated left-turn lane has been eliminated to give incoming traffic more room to maneuver.) Two lanes will then carry traffic across the bridge to access US 52 toward either Ironton or South Point.

 

 

– Northbound US 23-Winchester Avenue traffic can turn right onto the 13th Street bridge as normal. And, 13th Street traffic can proceed along normal routes.

 

 

It’s expected that the two-way traffic pattern on the 13th Street bridge will be in place for several months. Motorists should heed all warning signs, watch for continued traffic changes and expect congestion in the area of the bridges.

 

 

The 12th Street bridge – the Ben Williamson Memorial Bridge, which carries traffic across the Ohio River between US 52 and US 23 – was closed last week after structural damage from a vehicle impact created safety concerns.

 

 

Since then, engineers have been working on both permanent repair plans and ways to alleviate traffic congestion from the bridge closure – including the installation of signals, signs and lane markings for the two-way traffic pattern on the 13th Street bridge.