CINCINNATI (FOX19) - Truck crashes and fires that shut down both sides of Interstate 71/75 and the Brent Spence Bridge early Wednesday will keep it closed throughout the rest of the day and “for an extended period of time,” Covington police say.
Northbound I-71/75 also is now closed to motorists on both east and westbound I-275 in Fort Mitchell due to the bridge incident, Kenton County dispatchers say. This detour may be in effect for possibly days, they say.
All emergency workers were ordered off the bridge at 8:45 a.m. until it can be “deemed structurally sound,” police wrote in a news release.
The Brent Spence Bridge carries some 180,000 vehicles a day over the Ohio River between downtown Cincinnati and northern Kentucky.
“The wreckage from the accident remains on the bridge. We are expecting the bridge to be closed for an extended period of time. At this point we are projecting today at a minimum,” the release states.
“In addition, all river traffic in the downtown area has been shut down. It will take some time for inspectors to determine any damage to the structure of the bridge, to have crews clear the wreckage and then repair any damage to the bridge itself,” police continued.
“We are asking everyone to plan ahead and find an alternate route to and from the downtown Cincinnati area. Northbound traffic has been diverted to I-275 eastbound to I471 north. This has caused an increase in traffic on these interstates. We ask drivers to avoid the area but if you must travel through, please allow extra time for travel and be patient. We will update the condition and closure timeframe of the Brent Spence Bridge as we get further information.”
Two trucks collided in the northbound lanes on the lower deck of the bridge about 2:45 a.m., Covington police said.
Officers say when they arrived, they found both trucks fully engulfed in flames.
The Covington Fire Department worked to extinguish the flames, but the fire continued to burn for more than two hours, police say.
Due to the temperature and the duration of the fire, the upper deck on the bridge along the southbound lanes also has damage.
Police say they later discovered one of the trucks - a box truck - was hauling 44 pounds of liquid potassium hydroxide, which contributed to the heat and duration of the fire. The trucks also had diesel fuel.
Investigators were able to locate the drivers of both vehicles and there were no injuries. There also is no danger to the public from the burning of the potassium hydroxide, police say.
But the impact to traffic will be felt all day, if not days, as the bridge remains closed. It is a major artery connection downtown Cincinnati to northern Kentucky over the Ohio River.
The Brent Spence Bridge carries about 160,000 vehicles per day, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project website.
All traffic was cleared off the bridge as of 8 a.m. Wednesday, police say.
Accident investigators from Covington Police and the Kenton County S.T.A.R. (Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction) Team are investigating this incident.
Earlier, traffic was detoured off northbound I-71/75 onto the Kyles Lane exit before police moved that up to I-275.
You can detour onto I-471, I-71, I-74 and I-275 and U.S. 50 but expect heavier-than-normal traffic, especially on I-471 and I-71.
You also can take Big Mac Bridge (Daniel Carter Beard Bridge) southbound into northern Kentucky and the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge, the Suspension Bridge and the Taylor Southgate Bridge northbound into downtown Cincinnati.
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Crashes, fire close Brent Spence Bridge indefinitely - WKYT
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