New US 51 - Cairo Bridge

[edwaleni]

Reportedly this new bridge is still in design phase. The preferred ROW was announced several years ago and there hasn't been a community meeting or email update since 2020.

https://us51bridge.com/project-overview

The KYDOT plan only carries money for this bridge until 2028 (as does IDOT), and per its inspection report, the current bridge is not supposed to go past 2029 in use......so I was curious of anyone knows what the hang up might be?

The only thing I can come up with is the staffing issues at IDOT that are delaying several projects in the hopper. The I-69 bridge at Evansville with INDOT seems to be moving at a faster clip.

[seicer]

I wonder if the US 60 Connectivity Study has anything to do with the lack of updates.

[edwaleni]

I would say "yes" just by reading the goal statement of the US 60 Study.

"The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's US 60 Connectivity Study (Item 1-80250) is a regional project to study an alternative route and potential new bridge crossing connecting Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois. This study is being conducted by KYTC to determine if a new corridor and river crossing would offer more long-term value to the Commonwealth and traveling public than the proposed US 51 Bridge Replacement (Item No. 1-1140) between Wickliffe, Ky., and Cairo, Il."

Thanks for sharing, I was unaware of this study.  I have always looked at Missouri for these kinds of research.

[edwaleni]

I guess not.

"Currently, KYTC and its US 51 Bridge Replacement project team are planning for design and land acquisition that would be needed to construct a new US 51 bridge at Cairo. The US 60 Connectivity Study will run in parallel to planning and design for the US 51 Bridge Replacement project. Once completed, KYTC will determine which project should be advanced to final design and construction."

[Revive 755]

I wonder if the US 60 Connectivity Study has anything to do with the lack of updates.

If they are going to study new corridors for better connectivity they should include a few alternatives with direct crossings to Missouri, with at least one south of Wickliffe.

[jnewkirk77]

I wonder if the US 60 Connectivity Study has anything to do with the lack of updates.

If they are going to study new corridors for better connectivity they should include a few alternatives with direct crossings to Missouri, with at least one south of Wickliffe.

I thought about that myself, but I don't think you'd really get much benefit if you routed it south of Wickliffe, especially considering you'd be crossing the BP-NM Floodway on the Missouri side.  Good luck getting the Corps of Engineers to go along with that.

I'm not even really sure the value aspect is there in the corridors they're actively looking at. The 2023 cost estimates of $1.2B-1.3B are more than triple that of the 51 bridge replacement, which I think comes in around $382.5 million.

[seicer]

The US 60 corridor would benefit from being tied into the new two-lane (four-lane ultimate) Kevil-La Center alignment. Traffic counts decline the further west of Paducah you travel (11,600 near Paducah, 4,800 west of Kevil, 3,000 north of Wickliffe) before increasing again north of Wickliffe (5,300) towards the Ohio River bridge. Of that, 27% of traffic is trucks.

KYTC has more recently reconstructed the pavement of US 51/US 60 north of Wickliffe. I wish it had provisions for guardrails and other safety improvements, but it's adequate for the traffic it has now.

[edwaleni]

US60 KYDOT Study Area



US51 Original Study Area



US51 Preferred ROW

[Rothman]

KYDOT planning to take over Illinois...

[edwaleni]

KYDOT planning to take over Illinois...

The problem with rational highway planning in this region is that Illinois is trying to keep the City of Cairo relevant.

They are still trying to get an intermodal center built there, but the local port authority spent all of the money on things they weren't supposed to, so the state stopped the money.

and I quote....

"Osman also said in that letter that the administration had become deeply concerned that more than half of the funds spent by the state up to that point had been used for "consulting, project and grant management, and development expertise services."

"In the future, state funds should be used for the engineering, site readiness, and environmental work necessary to complete the development of the port terminal," he wrote. "Minimal funds may be used for consultation services."

Illinois has replaced the local port authority director, so hopefully the nearly $4 million in new funds can be used properly.

[hobsini2]

If the existing things (train bridge, historical mounds and wildlife refuge) in the way were no issue (it is a big issue), I could see US 60 being tied into I-57 at Illinois 3 (Exit 1). The intersection of US 51, IL 3 and IL 37 would have to be redone if the bridge was made the priority route.