Eggner’s Ferry Bridge

Eggner’s Ferry Bridge

The Eggner’s Ferry Bridge carries US Route 68 and KY Route 80 across Kentucky Lake between Trigg and Marshall County, Kentucky.

As part of the upgrading of US Route 68 and KY Route 80 to four lanes throughout southern Kentucky, the old Eggner’s Ferry Bridge was proposed to be replaced with a modern four-lane crossing.

In mid-2007, the bridge selection process began which included evaluating arch, girder, conventional truss, and cable-stay designs. 2 A tied-arch design unique to the state was selected on July 14, 2009. The proposed bridge would include four 11-foot travel lanes and an eight-foot pedestrian and cycling path. 1

Construction of a new bridge over a lagoon on the west side of Kentucky Lake began by Jim Smith Contracting of Grand Rivers in May 2013, 14 16 and construction of the Eggner’s Ferry Bridge began by Johnson Brothers Construction of Fort Worth, Texas in February 2014. 12 15 A groundbreaking ceremony attended by Governor Steve Beshear and other state and local leaders was held on September 10. 15 The 550-foot, 5-million-pound arch main span, built off-site, was lifted into place on December 1, 2015. 12 The new Eggner’s Ferry Bridge was completed at the cost of $133 million 13 and opened to traffic on April 8, 2016. 11

Information

  • State: Kentucky
  • Route: US Route 68, KY Route 80
  • Type: Tied Arch
  • Status: Active - Automobile
  • Main Span Length: 550 feet
  • Spans:
  • Deck Width: 74.5 feet
  • Total Height: 110 feet
  • Navigational Clearance:

Sources

  1. Wolfe, Chuck. “Governor Beshear unveils design for US 68 lakes bridges.” Office of Public Affairs. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, 14 July 2009. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. Article..
  2. “Eggner Ferry Bridge collapses after ship strike.” WPSD-6. Ed. Michael Vick. N.p., 26 Jan. 2012. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. Article.
  3. Long, James. “No reported injuries in Ky. bridge collapse.” KFVS-12. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. Article.
  4. “Bridge Type Selection.” Lake Bridges over Kentucky Lake & Lake Barkley. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, 2011. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. Article.
  5. Harper, Thomas D. “Between the Rivers.” Trigg County. Charleston: Arcadia, 2010. 9. Print.
  6. Stevenson, Mark Allen and Bill Baxter. “The Largest: Kentucky Dam.”Tennessee Valley Authority in Vintage Postcards: Arcadia, 2005. 87. Print.
  7. Engineering News-Record. Vol. 132. 85. N.p.: McGraw, 1944. N. pag. Print.
  8. American Highways. Vols. 23-27. N.p.: American Association of State Highway Officials, 1948. N. pag.Print.
  9. “Bridge collapses in Kentucky after being rammed by hulking freighter carrying space rocket parts.” Daily Mail. N.p., 27 Jan. 2012. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. Article.
  10. “Update from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.” The Front Blog. N.p., 28 Jan. 2012. Web. 30 Jan. 2012. Article.
  11. “Eggners Ferry Bridge.” Four Rivers Explorer, 12 May 2016.
  12. “New arch soars above existing Eggners Ferry Bridge.” WPSD, 2 Dec. 2015.
  13. “Work Zone Traffic Shift on US 68/KY 80 Eggners Ferry Bridge this afternoon.” Marshall County Daily, 17 Jun. 2019.
  14. Richardson, Kerri and Terry Sebastian. “Gov. Beshear Announces Award of Contract for Construction of New Bridge over Lake Barkley.” Governor Steve Beshear’s Communications Office, 11 Feb. 2015.
  15. Richardson, Kerri and Terry Sebastian. “Construction Underway on New Span to Replace Eggners Ferry Bridge.” Governor Steve Beshear’s Communications Office, 10 Sept. 2014.
  16. Richardson, Kerri and Terry Sebastian. “Lagoon Bridge project gets underway, marking first step toward new bridge over Kentucky Lake at Aurora.” Governor Steve Beshear’s Communications Office, 7 May 2013.

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