Transportation officials say they expect the first load of steel reinforcements to arrive next week for installation on the Sherman Minton Bridge.The bridge has been shut down since early September, when inspectors discovered a crack in a load-bearing support beam.Will Wingfield with the Indiana Department of Transportation says workers from Hall Contracting are now preparing the bridge for the installation of the steel plating."Once that occurs, contractors will be working around the clock. They may take the day off for Christmas, they may not. But then they’ll continue to work diligently every day until the last piece of steel is added and we can reopen the bridge to traffic," Wingfield said.Repair work on the Sherman Minton Bridge is scheduled for completion by early March.Wingfield says Kentucky and Indiana officials have been brainstorming on how to best keep the remaining bridges and approaching roadways clear during winter weather.
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.