Ben Williamson Memorial Bridge

Ben Williamson Memorial Bridge
Coordinates 38°29′03″N 082°38′28″W / 38.48417°N 82.64111°W / 38.48417; -82.64111 (Ben Williamson Memorial Bridge)Coordinates: 38°29′03″N 082°38′28″W / 38.48417°N 82.64111°W / 38.48417; -82.64111 (Ben Williamson Memorial Bridge)
Carries 2 lanes of Southbound Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (12th Street)
Crosses Ohio River
Locale Coal Grove, Ohio and Ashland, Kentucky
Maintained by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
Characteristics
Design Cantilever bridge
History
Opened 1932

Completed in 1932, the two-lane Ben Williamson Bridge connects Coal Grove, Ohio to Ashland, Kentucky, crossing the Ohio River. Named for Senator Ben M. Williamson, it was formerly a two-way span before the parallel Simeon Willis Memorial Bridge was completed upstream in 1985. Since 1985, the Williamson bridge is used for southbound (Kentucky-bound) traffic.

Since the completion of the Willis bridge, the Williamson Bridge has been closed and traffic in both directions has been diverted to the Willis bridge four times. In 1989, 2007 and 2018, the Williamson bridge has been closed for renovations and painting with traffic diverted to the Willis Bridge. The Williamson bridge was also closed briefly and traffic again diverted to the Willis Bridge in the summer of 2013 after a tractor-trailer ran into the tower on the Ohio side, causing structural damage to the bridge.

See also


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