FLEMINGSBURG, Ky. (AP) — Transportation officials say they have finished work to temporarily stabilize a 19th century bridge in northeastern Kentucky that was damaged by flooding last year.
A statement from the Kentucky Department of Highways on Wednesday said crews inserted steel beams through Dover Covered Bridge in Mason County and tied them to the structure and the ground. The agency says the project is aimed at protecting the bridge from structural failures until a long-term restoration plan can be developed.
The bridge, which dates back to 1835, was damaged by record-level flooding along Lee Creek. The waters tore away two 12,000-pound (5,440-kilogram) steel support beams. The bridge has been closed ever since.
It originally opened as a toll bridge and was renovated in 1926 and 1966. The steel support beams were added in the 1980s.