LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. — Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials announced this week that the ongoing Carroll Cropper Bridge repairs will now extend into May, citing additional repairs found by a contractor that are needed.
The single eastbound lane closure, which was supposed to end on March 31, will remain in place until April 6.
"KYTC is working with the contractor to ensure the needed bridge work gets done, and to alleviate congestion during peak travel times," a cabinet press release stated.
While the lane will reopen, work on the bridge will still continue — just during overnight hours. Following April 6, the Carroll Cropper Bridge will reopen daily between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., with the contractor, Southern Road & Bridge, LLC, completing bridge work at night. According to KYTC, occasional daytime lane closures on weekends may be necessary as part of the work.
"Transportation Cabinet engineers will continue working closely with the contractor to explore potential solutions that could accelerate progress and bring the bridge back into full service as soon as possible," a KYTC press release stated.
WATCH: Lawrenceburg shops have felt bridge repair impacts for 15 months. Business owners say project progress has given them a boost
The nearly 50-year-old connector between Kentucky and Indiana, over the Ohio River, has been under repair since January. Lane restrictions began in December 2024 in anticipation of expansion joint and floor beam repairs to the bridge. The repairs became necessary when engineers discovered deterioration in some of the bridge's steel.
Crews finished T-1 steel repairs to the bridge last summer and expansion joint repairs last fall. Since December, spot painting on sections of the bridge, which will protect against rust, has been underway.
"It doesn't surprise me that there's a delay," said Andrew McCabe, owner of Whisky City's Liberty Theater in downtown Lawrenceburg.
We last spoke with McCabe in December, ahead of the reopening of the bridge's westbound lane. At the time, he reported his business was struggling. Since then, he said, the business has hit record numbers.
"We just made it through our second winter. We're a young business, and we actually set records. I don't know what to attribute that to, other than good food, good beer and good music," he said. "It also probably didn't hurt that we had the westbound lane open."
McCabe said it is hard to gauge the exact impact of the bridge closure on his or other downtown shops' foot traffic counts. Neighboring business owner Sharon McAndrew agreed with the sentiment.
"We have, I would say, just as much business from Northern Kentucky as we do from the local Dearborn County," said McAndrew, co-owner of Back Alley Mercantile. "I have noticed not so many people coming in are from Northern Kentucky. They're more from, the west side of Cincinnati, or locally, here."
Once the project wraps up, McCabe said it will take time to reacclimate customers and bring them back to Lawrenceburg. Even now, he said, despite project progress, many people may still be under the impression there are multiple lane closures in place, deterring them from making the trip.
"It's hard for folks to discern when they hear Carol Cropper construction, they're not going to think, 'Which way (is closed)?'" McCabe said. "It's going to be, I think, an issue for small towns here in Indiana, as long as it's under construction."
