LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Dangerous sections of the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge — commonly referred to as the 2nd Street Bridge — have been safety hazards for some time now, with entire sections of railing missing.

But on Tuesday, it got fixed.

Cars speed across it. People walk across it, too, but not always safely. By Tuesday afternoon, there was safety railing along the side, but that wasn't always the case. Earlier in the day, rods were missing or bent, and in some spots, entire sections of the railing were just gone.

State traffic officials said they don't know how or when that damage occurred.

"We can't imagine it was like that during Thunder Over Louisville," said Jim Hannah with District 5 of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. "There was work being done on the bridge while it was closed. They set off fireworks there. I think it would have came to our attention then."

Damage to the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge (the Second Street Bridge) recorded on May 17, 2022

In fact, KYTC didn't even know about the issue until a call from WDRB News on Tuesday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, it was fixed, at least for now.

"We're putting up some welded wire over that section," Hannah said.

To identify and repair damage, the state relies on reports from the Louisville Metro Police Department. Those reports are sometimes delayed.

Hannah said there's nothing indicating how the damage happened and that the temporary fix will have to do, for now, until crews can either reconstruct or repair it permanently.

"We're looking into where that section has gone," Hannah said. "Maybe if it was preserved, we can repair it and install it,"

In any event, with the welded wire over the hole, it is now much safer on the Second Street Bridge. KYTC confirms the next inspection of the bridge will be in June. 

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