Frankfort’s West Broadway Bridge been closed since 1993. Over that time, community members and civic leaders sought to secure grants and community support for its repair and restoration as a pedestrian walkway. But, in 2019, the bridge was declared to be in imminent failure. Now, pieces of the bridge’s sidewalk have collapsed onto the riverbank below.
"We've had one small chunk about 50-60 feet fall off," said Ray Kinney, Director of Emergency Management for Frankfort and Franklin County.
Though scaffolding had been installed beneath the bridge to protect Riverview's parkgoers from small debris, the covering has been removed and the walking path passing below it has been blocked off.
"The whole thing's going to be closed off and fenced off for the forseeable future," said Kinney.
The US Coast Guard has also shut down all river traffic beneath the bridge from mile marker 65.5 and 66 – meaning boats docked at the marina on nearby Benson Creek have no access to the Kentucky River upstream. The closure will remain until at least September 6.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is expediting the bridge’s demolition with an updated timeline to be announced in the upcoming weeks. A bulletin released by KYTC announced that preliminary plans include the removal of a portion of the bridge on the side closer to downtown Frankfort, allowing passage by boats to resume. Following that, work will continue to remove the bridge while preserving portions of its steel superstructure for the construction of a future pedestrian crossing.