Landmark bridge stabilized in Fleming County

FLEMING COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – Contractors successfully stabilized the Grange City Covered Bridge in Fleming County that was damaged by flood waters, according to the state.

In late May, floodwaters inundated the 1860’s covered bridge where it spans Fox Creek adjacent to KY 111, just north of Grange City.

The state and bridge engineers assessed the damage, then consulted nationally-known covered bridge expert Arnold Graton on short-term stabilization and longer-term restoration.

Work on the $300,000 stabilization project began in June.  The state says the first phase included tying the bridge to temporary steel supports to keep it from slipping further and placing sandbags around the damaged piers to control erosion.

For the second phase, which began earlier this month, permanent steel beams were installed across Fox Creek parallel to the bridge.  Steel supports were tied to the bridge underneath and connected to the beams crossing the creek, creating an exoskeleton of sorts, which now protectively cradles the covered bridge, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

The bridge is an 86-foot-long Burr truss design built between 1865-and-1870.

The bridge was closed to traffic in 1968, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

For safety reasons, the bridge and the area around it remain closed to the public.

The Grange City Covered Bridge is one of about a dozen covered bridges in Kentucky, and one of three in Fleming County, which is known to tourists as The Covered Bridge Capital of Kentucky.