ODOT Provides Update on I-471 Daniel Carter Beard Bridge Closure

ODOT and the contractor are also working on a demolition plan to remove the damaged sections of the I-471 bridge approach.

CINCINNATI – The Ohio Department of Transportation continues to make progress to outline a project to repair the southbound approach to the I-471 Daniel Carter Beard Bridge that connects downtown Cincinnati to Newport.

On Tuesday, ODOT District 8 Deputy Tammy Campbell gave an update on the emergency repair project to the Climate, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee of Cincinnati City Council.  

According to Campbell, metal samples that were collected from the bridge during last week’s inspections have been sent to a lab for analysis to help determine the condition of the metal and the extent of the damage.

She also explained that given the complex design of the bridge, replacement parts will need to be custom-fabricated.

ODOT and the contractor are working on a demolition plan to remove the damaged sections of the bridge approach.

Additional temporary shoring will likely be required for the section of the bridge with the most significant damage. 

A final timeline for construction and reopening of the bridge has not yet been developed.

Ohio Traffic Impacts and Detour 

All access points to I-471 South in Ohio are closed; these include the following restrictions in downtown Cincinnati:  

• Liberty Street access to I-471 is closed. 
• 5th Street access to I-471 is closed. 
• U.S. 50 East and West access to I-471 is closed. (U.S. 50 remains open to thru traffic.) 

Southbound I-471 traffic is being detoured by way of I-71 and I-75 South. Thru-traffic motorists and heavy truck (semi) drivers traveling south should use I-275 to I-71/75 to avoid delays, and all HAZMAT operators are required to follow the I-275 outerbelt.   

Kentucky Traffic Impacts 

A single-lane closure is in effect on I-471 North beginning at the 3.6-mile marker near Memorial Parkway and continuing across the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge.