(PRESS RELEASE) – Moments ago, Sen. Rand Paul received an emergency briefing via phone from Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez regarding the status of the Sherman Minton Bridge, which spans the Ohio River between Louisville, Ky., and New Albany, Ind. The bridge was recently closed due to unsafe conditions when cracks in the main load-bearing portion of the bridge were discovered.
“Kentucky’s transportation infrastructure – and the safety of those who travel in our state – is of utmost importance to me and I will continue to monitor this situation as a high priority. I asked Administrator Mendez if the Federal Highway Administration had an emergency priority list for situations like this, and while they do not, I suggested they create one and put this project at the top of the list,” Sen. Paul said.
Senator McConnell also spoke with Transportation Sec. LaHood and Federal Highway Administrator Mendez on Wednesday about the Sherman Minton Bridge. Here’s a statement from Sen. McConnell on the issue:
“The Sherman Minton Bridge is a vital part of Louisville’s transportation infrastructure. The closure of the bridge is a great inconvenience, and the only thing anyone sitting in traffic right now wants to know is that someone is working hard to fix this problem so that’s what I intended to find out from the Administration today. The good news is that the Department of Transportation is indeed working hard to diagnose the problem the bad news is that they don’t believe they’ll have an assessment for another 2-3 weeks. I’ve directed my staff to work with anyone and everyone at the local, state and federal level willing to help put a plan in place to get the bridge repaired safely and traffic moving again.”
