Ohio River flooding closes Cairo bridge to traffic

Ohio River flooding will force motorists to make an 80-mile detour with the closing of the U.S. 51 bridge between Wickliffe, Kentucky, and Cairo, Illinois, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials said Friday.

The U.S. 51 Ohio River bridge at Cairo was scheduled to be closed to traffic at 6 p.m. Friday because of flooding on the Kentucky approach levee, Kentucky highway officials said in a news release.

�Engineers are closing the bridge due to safety concerns about the depth of water on the roadway and recurring issues with drift floating into traffic lanes,� the release stated.

The route from Cairo to Wickliffe is an eight-mile drive when the bridge is open, officials said.

About 4,700 vehicles cross the bridge on an average day, according to the release.

Motorists will have to take a detour through Southern Illinois, Transportation Cabinet officials said.

Based on the river forecast, the bridge is likely to remain closed for about a week; longer if the flood crest is revised upward, officials said in the release.

Pertinent address:

Wickliffe, Ky.

Cairo, Ill.