NEWPORT, Ky. — A second dumpster containing flammable cooking oil was found under a Tri-State bridge, despite a devastating fire that occurred below the Big Mac Bridge just over a year ago.
Last week, the I-Team discovered a second dumpster of cooking oil under the Taylor Southgate Bridge on Riverboat Row in Newport during a tour of Northern Kentucky bridges and overpasses.
“That’s Newport that’s controlling that, and I talked to them about that today (March 13), and they are going to move that from out from under the bridge,” said Bob Yeager, chief engineer for Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s District 6. “I don’t know if it’s dangerous or threatening at this point, but there is potential that exists … so they’re going to have that moved, and I think that’s appropriate at this time to do that.”
A KYTC spokesperson confirmed on Monday that the dumpster had been removed from under the bridge.
WATCH: WCPO I-Team looks into dumpster of cooking oil found under Newport bridge
The Ohio Department of Transportation also reacted to the I-Team’s findings in January.
“That’s a fire hazard right there … that needed to be removed immediately,” said Kathleen Fuller, a spokesperson for ODOT District 8, in a February interview. “When we saw the photo, our project manager ... asked the owners to remove that, which they did. They complied.”
“Following the Big Mac Bridge fire ... that’s like the number one thing we’re mostly concerned about, are fires,” Fuller said.
The Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, known as the Big Mac Bridge, was severely damaged on Nov. 1, 2024. It happened after a playground at Sawyer Point Park, beneath the bridge, caught fire overnight and burned for hours. It was large and hot enough to warp some of the steel beams supporting the bridge.
The fire caused extensive damage that cost at least $10 million to repair.
The bridge was closed for 100 days, resulting in massive traffic delays. Four people were convicted for their roles in what happened the night of the fire.
The Federal Highway Administration urged state bridge inspectors to watch out for flammable material stored beneath bridges after a fire on the Santa Monica Freeway in 2023, prompting transportation agencies across the nation to assess their bridges and overpasses.
When the I-Team toured Hamilton County bridges in January and February, it discovered combustible items stored beneath: wooden pallets, tires, mattresses, piles of trash, homeless encampments with evidence of fire, tractor-trailers and that dumpster of oil.
Next, the I-Team crossed the Ohio River to examine bridges, but found far less trash and fire hazards, and no homeless encampments in Northern Kentucky.
“I don’t think it surprises me. We do take those things seriously,” Yeager said, of KYTC, who credited manpower and effort. “I think the longer you let it go, the worse it gets because people see that that’s a dumping site and they can dump there, whether they’re supposed to or not.”
Although District 6 oversees more than 1,400 bridges in Northern Kentucky, Yeager said most are not accessible by car, so they aren’t suitable for storage.
“We’re not talking about a big problem, we’re talking about those few areas, the big bridges, I-75, I-471 … where they are elevated through cities that make it a convenient place for people to store stuff,” Yeager said. “Those are the ones we would concentrate on.”
The I-Team toured the I-471 bridge next to Newport High School and found roughly 100 cars parked under the bridge, two trash dumpsters and three large storage containers.
“That’s owned by the city of Newport, so they basically have the parking there for the school,” Yeager said. “It’s one of the areas where we protect the piers to make sure they are not bumped into by students or teachers.”
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Yeager also said he checked with Newport officials on the storage containers and learned they were empty, so they did not need to be removed.
“What I told them is they don’t have to move them on my account, but I would like to know what’s in them, so that I can assess the potential for any hazard,” Yeager said.
Yeager said he wasn’t concerned about the dumpsters stored under the bridge because they are used by the school and routinely emptied.
The I-Team also discovered giant pipes stored under I-275 at KY-17 near Gateway Community College, with a large crane used for a construction project.
“The pipes are part of an ongoing construction project. We allow construction material to be stored under there,” Yeager said. “Our biggest concern is not what’s being stored, it’s how it’s being handled. When you come in there with a crane … to not hit the top of the bridge, we regulate that so they are there by permit.”
In Maysville, the I-Team found stacks of wooden pallets stored near the piers under the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge. Since this is in the KYTC District 9, Yeager declined to comment.
A KYTC District 6 spokesperson reached out to District 9 for a statement regarding those pallets, but the I-Team has not received a response from the agency.
