Ohio River Bridge Between Madison Indiana & Milton Kentucky (Milton-Madison Bridge)

Here is video footage of taken 12-18-2009 while I was driving across the Milton-Madison Bridge over the Ohio River. Government officials are currently planning to replace the existing bridge and build a new structure. The current bridge is highly deteriorated and is rated in poor condition.

Many motorists who drive across the bridge connecting Milton, Kentucky and Madison, Indiana could be temporarily ferried across the Ohio River in 2011.

Transportation officials in Kentucky and Indiana are proposing a ferry service that would operate during the scheduled replacement of the bridges superstructure.

Kentucky Department of Transportation spokesperson Andrea Clifford says if federal stimulus funds are secured as hoped, preliminary work on the project would begin in mid-2010.

But in early 2011 we would have to start removing the current superstructure, and at that time in order to help mitigate the impact, we would provide a free ferry service, she said.

We would run two ferries during the day, most of the day, and maybe one ferry during the overnight hours. Each ferry could accomodate up to about 24 cars, and it takes about 12 minutes to load, get across the river and unload. So during the peak hours we could carry about 240 cars an hour.

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton-Madison_Bridge
Quote:

This two lane vehicular bridge is the Ohio River crossing for U.S. Route 421. It has a main span of 600 feet (180 m) and total length of 3,184.2 feet (970.5 m). It has a deck width of a mere 20 feet (6.1 m), and above the deck the vertical clearance is 16.8 feet (5.1 m). This bridge is the only vehicular crossing of the Ohio River for 26 miles (42 km) going upstream ( the Markland Bridge near Vevay, Indiana) and 46 miles (74 km) downstream (the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge in Louisville)
http://www.miltonmadisonbridge.com

Quote:
The Milton-Madison Bridge Project was launched in August 2008, with the goal of replacing or rehabilitating the US 421 bridge connecting Milton, Ky., and Madison, Ind. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is the lead agency in this bi-state effort with the Indiana Department of Transportation. Over the next three years, this comprehensive study will result in the selection of a bridge location, affordable bridge type options and an environmental report that meets federal requirements.

Inspections have found the existing Milton-Madison Bridge to be functionally obsolete -- too narrow to handle todays traffic. A 1995 bridge study attempted to address those issues, but ended early after a bridge inspection found deficiencies requiring immediate attention. Plans for a new bridge were put on hold, and a $10 million rehabilitation began, extending the life of the existing bridge 10 to 15 years.

The current project is intended to provide a long-term solution to the cross-river transportation needs of the two communities.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Madison Indiana
• Milton Kentucky
• Ohio River
• Milton-Madison Bridge
• Madison Bridge

[Jukeboxfun]

I used to drive a larger panel van across this bridge daily back in the late 70's. I got used to it but it did make me nervous passing a tractor trailer.