News and Music Discovery
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Tennessee River Bridge at Ledbetter to Open Next Week

The new U.S. 60 Tennessee River Bridge at Ledbetter may be ready for two-lane traffic by the middle of next week.

The four-lane bridge was originally scheduled to open one year from now. Highway officials say the contracting team devised a way to get the bridge partially opened to aid commuters and commerce in Livingston and McCracken counties.

The new bridge replaces the two-lane Ledbetter Bridge, which was built 82 years ago. Deterioration of the old bridge forced KYTC to impose a 3-ton load limit and prompted the decision to accelerate completion of the new bridge.

If the new bridge is opened to two-lane travel by August 1, the contractor will collect about $2 million in incentives.

Department of Highways engineer Jim LeFevre said the new bridge could be fully open, with all four traffic lanes, by late fall or early spring.

John Null is the host and creator of Left of the Dial. From 2013-2016, he also served as a reporter in the WKMS newsroom.
Related Content