Expansion joints on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge in Louisville, Ky., are again under scrutiny as a particularly problematic location awaits repairs.
Motorists on the nearly 60-year-old, 2,500-ft-long cantilever bridge across the Ohio River complained about noise and unusual motion at a finger expansion joint located near the Kentucky-Indiana border. After a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) inspection found multiple 17-in bolts at the joint to be loose, damaged or missing, the agency closed the bridge’s three southbound lanes in early June to prevent further damage. KYTC is awaiting delivery of replacement high-strength, pre-tension steel bolts, which the agency says have been delayed by industry-wide supply issues.