Bridge linking Kentucky, Illinois reopens after brief closure

WICKLIFFE, Ky. -- A bridge linking Kentucky and Illinois has reopened to traffic after a barge struck a bridge pier.

U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Brad Hannon said the harbor tug Mary Harter was towing a single barge that hit a pier of the bridge that connects Wickliffe, Ky., to Cairo, Ill., at about 5 a.m. Tuesday.

Kentucky highway department spokesman Keith Todd said the U.S. 51 bridge was closed while certified inspectors checked for structural damage. Todd said they found none and the bridge was reopened later that day.

Todd said the structure carries an average of 4,500 vehicles daily across the Ohio River.