(
Bridge Hunter;
B&T;
Satellite)
"Built 1961; rehabilitated 1997 and 2011/12; closed on September 9, 2011 due to cracks in the main load-bearing structural element; reopened on February 17/18, 2012" [Bridge Hunter]
A.J. Bertin
posted three photos with the comment: "From September 2020, here are a few photos I took of the bridge that carries I-64 over the Ohio River... New Albany, Indiana."
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It opened in Aug 1962, a year before the I-65 bridge opened. It has two decks of 3 lanes each that now carry 70,000 vehicles/day. The arch span is 800'. [
SMR-about] (I used this source instead of the Bridge Hunter source for the completion year in the title.)
I learned of this bridge while reading about the crack in the
I-40 bridge at Memphis, TN. Someone commented that this bridge had a similar double-arch design and that it also was closed because of a crack.
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| A Bridge Hunter comment |
The Sherman Minton Bridge episode might prove instructive. It was ordered closed Sept. 9, 2011, after cracks were found in its main load-bearing structural element. The crack was repaired by Sept. 23, but an inspection of the rest of the bridge uncovered additional cracks. The repairs cost $20 million. The bridge reopened Feb. 17, 2012.
The Federal Highway Administration issued its technical advisory two days after the Sherman Minton Bridge was closed. It blamed the cracks on improper fabrication procedures as well as the grade of steel used.
"Several cracks were found in the butt welds or their associated heat-affected zones of the tension ties of both spans," the advisory said. "It was subsequently determined that the cracking was very likely caused by hydrogen that was introduced into the weld as the result of improper fabrication procedures. T-1 steel is known to be very susceptible to this type of cracking."
The I-40 bridge was also made with T-1 steel. However, ADOT says the crack is worse than those caused by welding T-1 grade steel with welding procedures that were banned in 1977. Forensic testing will be required to understand how the I-40 crack developed. [
ArkansasOnline]
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J.B. Rail Photog posted
07/15/2021 - Norfolk Southern train 223 with the Conrail Heritage Unit leading slowly approaches Tatum at New Albany, IN, as they head eastbound towards K&IT Junction passing up an old grain toward with the Ohio River paralleling the tracks makes for a wonderful backdrop.
[Note that this bridge is in the background.] |
On Mar 9, 2024, the bridge was shut down for an emergency inspection. [
wlky] I came across this news article when I was checking out a
news article about eight barges stuck at the
14th Street Bridge.
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We Work the Waterways posted
Amherst Madison's M/V TENNESSEE southbound lining up for the Sherman Minton Bridge at Mile 608 on the Ohio River. Captain Jim Smiley ( Capted Smiley) tells us it’s a nice sunny evening in Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana. |
Dec 20, 2024: Bridges & Tunnels
posted seven photos with the comment:
The Sherman Minton Bridge, which carries Interstate 64 and US Route 150 over the Ohio River between Louisville, Kentucky, and New Albany, Indiana, has fully reopened after a multi-year rehabilitation.
Completed in 1962, the double-deck steel through-arch bridge was named for Sherman Minton, a New Albany native and former U.S. Senator and Supreme Court Justice.
In September 2011, inspectors discovered structural steel deficiencies and cracking linked to the original use of T1 steel, known for its susceptibility to cracking. The bridge was closed for several months for repairs before reopening in February 2012. A more extensive rehabilitation from 2021 to 2024 has extended the bridge’s lifespan by an estimated 30 years.
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