Tagged: kytc

Hearings continue today in the US Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the late January allision of the cargo ship Delta Mariner into the Eggners Ferry Bridge.

On the second day of hearings on the January 26th Eggners Ferry Bridge accident, Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board questioned workers involved in the elision involving a Foss Maritime cargo ship and the bridge connecting Aurora to Land Between the Lakes.  U.S. Coast Guard Court Recorder Nick Parham says as they investigate the causes of the crash, officials could discover that decisions made by multiple people led to the crash:

State Auditor Adam Edelen says the first phase of a state audit found problems with reviews of bridge inspection reports conducted by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Of 40 reports tested by auditors, 8 were not reviewed. KYTC spokesman Chuck Wolfe says most of the un-reviewed reports came from an eastern Kentucky district, where personnel shortages had led to a buildup of pending reviews.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials say bidding for building contracts for a new Mayfield Creek KY 1241 Leeder Bottom bridge could begin as soon as April. KYTC Engineers say the project is in the final design phase. Inspectors closed the bridge last April after floods damaged a pier. And the bridge collapsed in June before repair plans could be formulated. Engineers believe if everything stays on schedule and plans are approved as developed, construction on a new bridge could start sometime in June, and it could be opened to traffic raising the likelihood by the end of the year.