Lake Barkley Bridge

The Lake Barkley Bridge carries US Route 68 and KY Route 80 across Lake Barkley near Cadiz in Trigg County, Kentucky.

As part of the four-lane upgrades of US Route 68 and KY Route 80 in southern Kentucky, the old Lake Barkley Bridge was slated for replacement with a four-lane crossing.

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

Construction of the new Lake Barkley Bridge began by PCL Civil Construction of Denver in February 2015. ^{5 6} A groundbreaking ceremony attended by Governor Steve Beshear and other state and local leaders was held on July 22. ⁷

The 550-foot, 5-million-pound arch span, built off-site, was lifted into place on December 14, 2017. ⁶

The old Lawrence Bridge was demolished on April 11, 2018, at 7:20 a.m. ⁴ The new Lake Barkley Bridge opened to two-lane traffic on February 12 ⁴ and to four-lane traffic on October 2018. ³ The new crossing cost $128.3 million to complete. ⁶

Information

• State: Kentucky
• Route: US Route 68, KY Route 80
• Type: Tied Arch
• Status: Active - Automobile
• Total Length: 3,805 feet
• Main Span Length: 550 feet
• Deck Width: 74.6 feet
• Height: 110 feet

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. “Bridge Type Selection.” Lake Bridges over Kentucky Lake & Lake Barkley. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, 2011. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. Article.
3. Taylor, Henry. “Land Between the Lakes gets new bridge over Lake Barkley, plus biking/hiking trail.” Leaf-Chronicle [Clarksville], 26 Sept. 2019.
4. Adams, Jasmine. “Explosive demolition of old Lake Barkley Bridge, new bridge back open.” KFVS, 14 Aug. 2018.
5. “Schedule.” Lake Bridges.
6. Todd, Keith. “Target date set for new Lake Barkley Bridge arch placement.” Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, 7 Feb. 2017.
7. “Gov. Beshear Breaks Ground for New Lake Barkley Bridge.” Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, 22 Jul. 2015.