I-275 Carroll Cropper bridge repairs: Here's everything we know

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. — Drivers continue to navigate delays two months after the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) put lane and weight restrictions in place on the Carroll Cropper Memorial Bridge.

More than 40,000 commuters rely on the connection between Kentucky and Indiana, according to November data from the OKI Regional Council of Governments.

In December, KYTC announced it was implementing lane restrictions to prevent further damage to the Boone County bridge after steel deterioration was found during a recent inspection.

KYTC said the bridge, under the current restrictions, is safe for travel.

Watch what drivers are saying here:

When can drivers expect all lanes to re-open? 

All repairs will likely be completed by late summer 2025, according to KYTC District 6 Public Information Officer Jake Ryle.

“We’re expediting what repairs we can to try to reopen some lanes up for traffic as quickly as we can,” Ryle wrote.

KYTC is working with the contractor to develop a better completion date.

The original contract for previously scheduled T-1 steel repairs had an anticipated completion date of May 2025. However, the repairs for the deteriorating steel discovered in December was added to that contract.

Chief District 6 Engineer Bob Yeager told WCPO the cabinet had accelerated the project.

“This project is moving forward as quickly as we can move it forward,” he said.

What repairs are taking place?

Last week, crews wrapped up steel testing on various bridge areas.

They will spend the next several weeks working on joint repairs. KYTC said that could require a traffic pattern adjustment which they would communicate ahead of time.

What are the repairs that will take longer?

The floor beam repairs. That requires new steel, which is currently being fabricated. KYTC said it could take a few months to get in.

Why are these repairs needed?  

“These repairs are necessary to ensure the bridge can continue to be used safely for years to come,” Ryle wrote.

He said crews are working as quickly as they can before the fabricated steel arrives on-site.

What is KYTC saying about the traffic delays? 

There’s never a good time to close any bridges in the Northern Kentucky area,” Yeager said.

However, he said safety is of the upmost importance: “It’s not like we can pick and choose which ones we’re going to shut down when they’re not safe.”

Yeager stressed the bridge has many redundancies, and under the current restrictions, is safe for travel.

How were lane restrictions decided? 

Lane restrictions began on the bridge in December when KYTC announced steel deterioration was found during a recent inspection.

"This bridge repair project follows a federally required inspection of older bridges across the country built with T-1 steel — a high-strength, quenched and treated steel known for being highly amenable to welding and machining," reads a press release from KYTC. "Potential issues had been found in other states with certain types of welds, which needed to be tested."

Those tests began in 2023 when an engineering firm that inspected the bridge tested 600 welds on it and subsequently identified 15 locations that needed future repairs. Those repair needs did not pose immediate safety issues.

But in December, a bridge engineering analysis done by KYTC showed that other repairs unrelated to the T-1 steel and weld issues would be needed. Specifically, KYTC found the new repairs were necessary for an expansion joint and floor beam replacement the bridge needs.