Cairo bridge to close Saturday for extensive maintenance

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) - A bridge connecting Wickliffe, Kentucky, and Cairo, Illinois, will close Saturday for extensive maintenance, meaning a long detour for those traveling between the cities, officials said.

The U.S. 51 Ohio River 'œCairo'ť Bridge is scheduled to remain closed for about a month so that crews can work along a nearly 2-mile (3.2-kilometer) section of the Kentucky approach levee and perform critical work on the bridge deck, a statement from the Kentucky Cabinet for Transportation said.

The normal 5-mile (8-kilometer) route between the cities will become an 80-mile (129 kilometer) trip as vehicles are detoured to the Interstate 24 Ohio River Bridge at Paducah, officials said. Motorists can reduce the detour by adjusting their route before getting to the bridge.

The span, which carries about 7,000 vehicles each day, is expected to reopen on Aug. 31.