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