The 82 year old Milton-Madison Bridge will be shut down for five days this week as part of the span’s replacement project. This is the first of two closures for the project, in which workers will replace the bridge’s truss and reinforce its existing piers. This week, they'll take down the old approaches to the bridge.The U.S. 421 bridge connects Milton, Kentucky and Madison, Indiana.The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Andrea Clifford says bridge traffic will be rerouted during the shutdown."Motorists that need to cross in the Madison and Milton areas will have to detour. It’s 26 miles upstream to the Markland Locks and Dam Bridge or it’s 46 miles downstream to Louisville," she said. A ferry system will be in place for emergency vehicles to cross the river.Clifford says about 8,300 vehicles cross the bridge each day. The project is scheduled for completion in 2013.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.