It also allows Knochelmann to waive any procedures that could get in the way of having the bridge repaired or reopened quickly.
The Brent Spence Bridge was closed after a fiery crash Wednesday morning between two semi trucks damaged the upper deck. Traffic diverted to other methods to get over the river, including the Roebling Bridge.
The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge between Ohio and Kentucky was also closed after Covington Police said that semi trucks diverted by the closed Brent Spence Bridge repeatedly violated the Roebling Bridge’s weight limit.
Our news partner WCPO-TV reported that the weight limit of the bridge is 11 tons, and an empty semi or tractor alone far exceeds that limit.
“If you are operating a tractor trailer or any heavy truck looking for a way to get around the I-75 closure of the Brent Spence Bridge, the Roebling Bridge is not an alternate route,” the Cincinnati Police Department posted on Twitter Wednesday. “The Roebling Suspension Bridge was opened in 1867. It’s historic, so let’s keep it that way!”
The department also noted that signs were posted near the Roebling Bridge noting the weight limit.
UPDATE: The Roebling Suspension Bridge is now RE-OPENED to PASSENGER vehicle traffic. Semis and other trucks violating...
Posted by Covington Police Department on Wednesday, November 11, 2020
WCPO-TV reported that police said there was no damage to the bridge, but that the closing was a precaution to ensure the safety of the bridge.
The Brent Spence bridge is expected to be closed for several days. In a statement, Covington police said that one of the trucks involved in the crash had been transporting potassium hydroxide. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, potassium hydroxide is used in the production of some soaps, batteries and paint removers and can be corrosive in moist air to some metals like aluminum, zinc and tin. The chemical fire did not pose a danger to the public, Lt. Col. Brian Valenti said, though a shelter-in-place was issued for a brief period after the crash.
Both Interstate 75 and Interstate 71 cross the Ohio River using the Brent Spence Bridge.
Police ask that people driving northbound on Interstate 71/75 divert to eastbound Interstate 275 and then to northbound Interstate 471 for now, and vice versa for those traveling south.
“The bridge, at best, will be closed several days,” Gov. Andy Beshear said of the Brent Spence Bridge in a virtual briefing. “But we ought to be prepared for more disruption, potentially significantly more disruption, than that.”
The fire was contained, but the extreme heat made the bridge too hot for bridge inspectors, Beshear said. Damage to the bridge and its concrete decking was visible, he said.
The governor warned that a closure lasting several days could be “optimistic.”
“We won’t have the details until those inspectors are there, but this is a serious accident and it is not outside the realm of possibility that we are looking at weeks,” Beshear said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report