Reported by: Jay Warren
Photographed by: Jason Garrison
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has temporarily halted eastbound truck-traffic from crossing the I-275 Combs-Heil bridge.
The bridge crosses the Ohio River about five miles of of Cincinnati, near Coney Island, the Riverbend Music Center and River Downs racetrack on Kellogg Avenue.
Inspectors discovered a crack in a plate of steel called a "splice-plate."
The plate is used to connect two steel beams. The beams are part of the bridge superstructure which are located above the deck of the bridge.
An inspection in 2007 revealed defects with three splice-plates and in May the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet replaced them.
Upon inspection, the plates, which were installed when the bridge was built in 1979, were deemed faulty.
"The steel was not tempered properly," said Nancy Wood, a cabinet spokesperson.
A decision was made to inspect all of the plates and Wednesday's inspection revealed the current crack.
"The truck diversion was a conservative, precautionary action to reduce weight on the bridge," said Chuck Wolfe, another cabinet spokesperson.
Truck traffic could be limited for some time as engineers determine how to address the problem.
In the meantime, truck drivers looking to get to the eastern side of the I-275 loop will be forced to drive north on I-471, then to northbound I-71 – and then east/ southbound on I-275.
