US 51 Bridge Project will include a roundabout and more
CAIRO, Ill. (KBSI) –Right now, drivers crossing between Kentucky and Illinois navigate an aging, narrowing bridge, but change is on the horizon as a new bridge roundabout project is in the works.
“I think there’s going to be a lot for folks to like about the new US 51 bridge. The new bridge will be almost twice as wide. It’ll have two 12ft driving lanes and eight-foot shoulders on each side. So, lots of different size of vehicles can be accommodated on that bridge safely, including large farm equipment. It’s a very important connection between Illinois and Kentucky regionally, especially for the agricultural industry and for commerce. The average daily traffic on that bridge right now is about 5400 and40% of that is commercial traffic” says Carrie Dillard.
Carrie Dillard is the Public Information’s Officer for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 1. She shares that official construction on the bridge is estimated to start in 2029 and last about three years, with the current bridge being maintained until the new project is finished. Dillard shares the new bridge will be located about a thousand feet upstream from the current bridge, and will cost 55o million dollars which will be split between both Illinois and Kentucky, this amount includes an advance work pkg that may allow for small construction to start earlier.
“We’re hopeful that an advance work package will be led in December, and if awarded, that construction would focus on, settlements on both sides of the river” says Dillard. “It would focus on a staging area for the contractor and geotechnical work that needs to be done ahead of the bridge construction.”
Not only will the US 51 bridge project include a wider bridge with a slight curve on the Kentucky side for safer turning but it will include a roundabout on the Illinois side into Cairo, Dillard shares that the roundabout will improve safety.
“A roundabout is an innovative intersection that Kentucky has been using to make highways safer. We know that nationally, roundabouts are shown to decrease crashes, because it reduces conflict points and those places where two vehicles may get into a right-angle crash, which often is more severe. Those statistics show that where roundabouts replace traditional intersections as crashes are decreased by 37%, injury crashes are decreased by up to 75%, and fatal crashes are decreased by up to 90%” says Dillard.
