Ky 136 Bridge replacement work set to begin

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet was scheduled to begin a more than year and a half long project along Kentucky 136.

Contractor Scott and Murphy, Inc. were set to begin a $9.6 million, multi-year project to improve motorist safety along the Kentucky 136 corridor in Ohio County near the McLean County line.

Around 1,500 vehicles utilize this roadway each day.

The project will ultimately see the replacement of bridges over Stillhouse Branch (0.02 mile point), Hanley Creek (1.07 mile point), Barnett Creek (3.4 mile point), Toms Branch (5.4 mile point), Little No Creek (5.7 mile point) and No Creek (5.9 mile point) along with grading and drainage upgrades throughout the corridor.

The project will be conducted in multiple phases to reduce the impact on traffic. During the project, motorists will experience numerous lane restrictions and traffic shifts as work progresses and two planned road closures as bridges are replaced. Both closures will include a marked detour and will be scheduled during summer months so that school traffic will not be delayed.

Plans were to begin earthwork near the Barnett Creek Bridge next Monday followed by the construction of a new bridge adjacent to the existing span. The anticipated completion of the bridge is slated for early spring, but motorists shouldn't expect to start using the structure until early 2026, near the end of the project.

Work at the Hanley Creek Bridge is scheduled to begin in March 2025. A temporary bridge will be installed, diverting traffic around the existing bridge as it is demolished and a new bridge is constructed. The structures are expected to open to traffic in July 2025.

Crews plan to close the Stillhouse Branch Bridge in June 2025 to install a new arch culvert bridge. There will be a marked detour, as installing a temporary structure is not possible at this location. The bridge is scheduled to reopen in July.

The contractor will then move to the No Creek bridge, once again installing a temporary bridge while the existing structure is replaced. This bridge is anticipated to open by November 2025.

The Little No Creek bridge will close in late 2025 with an anticipated reopening planned for April 2026. The contractor then plans to complete work required to transition traffic to the new Barnett Creek bridge.

A road closure is also planned at the Toms Creek bridge. While the contractor has expressed interest in conducting this work during the summer of 2025, out of consideration for local school traffic, it will not be scheduled until the planned closure at Stillhouse Branch is completed. If enough time remains to complete this structure before the start of the 2025-26 school year, it will move forward in 2025. If there is insufficient time, the project will be scheduled for June 2026.