LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Clark Memorial Bridge connecting downtown Louisville and southern Indiana will have newly reduced weight limits for heavier vehicles like tractor trailers after a recent routine inspection found deterioration in the 95-year-old bridge's steel beams and connections.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, which owns and maintains the bridge, announced the changes Tuesday, saying its inspection and analysis found the bridge's "deterioration has progressed to the point where weight-limit restrictions are needed to better protect the structure from damage and ensure continued traffic safety."

Morgan Woodrum, a KYTC spokesperson, said the crossing remains safe for all traffic even as its condition rating has been lowered from fair condition to poor. The downgrade is connected to the bridge's superstructure that supports the roadway used by vehicles.  

WDRB has requested the inspection report under Kentucky's open records law.

"These issues are not new and have been monitored by engineers on an ongoing basis," Woodrum said in a written statement Tuesday. "However, as they continue to worsen with the structure's age, we are taking precautionary measures now to ensure the safety of travelers and preserve the bridge’s future."

KYTC is developing a plan that would restore the prior weight limits, she said, although there is no timeline for that work.

Below are the new limits, starting with Type 1, which includes passenger cars, pickup trucks, SUVs and vans:

  • Type I: 20 tons (no change)
  • Type II: 25 tons (previously 27 tons)
  • Type III: 29 tons (previously 34 tons)
  • Type IV: 36 tons (previously 40 tons)
  • 5 Axles: 31 tons (previously 40 tons)
  • 6 Axles: 32 tons (previously 40 tons)
  • 7+ Axles: 34 tons (previously 41 tons)

KYTC said vehicles exceeding the stated limits are advised to use the Sherman Minton Bridge on Interstate 64 or the Lincoln and Kennedy bridges on Interstate 65 instead.

"Maintaining vital roads and bridges so Kentuckians can safely access jobs, schools, and healthcare is a top priority of Team Kentucky," Gov. Andy Beshear's Office said in a written statement Tuesday. "Bridges are routinely inspected to ensure that not only are people safe but structures are protected so they can continue to serve communities well into the future. Reducing weight limits is an important tool that can slow the bridge’s age-related deterioration and maintain safe traffic flow while developing repair plans."

In an interview Tuesday, Woodrum said KYTC does not have enforcement capabilities and would rely on local law enforcement. 

"I would put it the same realm as speed limit," she said.

In addition to the weight changes, the northbound sidewalk on the east side of the Clark Memorial Bridge is closed. The southbound sidewalk will remain open for pedestrians traveling both directions.

Rebecca Fleischaker, executive director of the Louisville Downtown Partnership, said the organization supports the move, as it may lead to fewer large trucks on downtown streets.

"Our efforts to create a safe and pedestrian-friendly environment and experience, something explicitly called for in our Downtown Strategy, are made more difficult for both the truck drivers and the pedestrians with this kind of traffic movement," Fleischaker said in a written statement Tuesday.

How We Got Here

There were 80 wrecks last year on the four-lane Ohio River bridge connecting downtown Louisville and Jeffersonville, Indiana, up from 37 in 2022, according to a WDRB Investigates review of data from Kentucky State Police's collision database. Six involved semis and trucks hauling gasoline and diesel fuel. A review dating back to 2010 found no other year with that many crashes; the next highest was four in 2020.

A Jeffersonville man, Trevor W. Branham, was charged in connection with the March 1 crash. Witnesses told police that Branham was speeding and weaving on the bridge when he hit a stopped vehicle, ultimately striking the semi that then plowed through a bridge railing. That harrowing rescue on the 95-year-old bridge after a March wreck rekindled a longstanding debate: Should big trucks be allowed on a span with narrow lanes that is the only downtown river crossing without tolls?

For now, the answer is yes.

"The number of trucks crossing, and the number of trucks involved in crashes, is low in our opinion," Matt Bullock, the KYTC's chief district engineer for the Louisville area, told WDRB earlier this year.

State officials believe truck traffic on the bridge remains "relatively low," although a different picture could emerge when a traffic count is done later this year for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, Bullock said.

About 24,000 vehicles were using the bridge each day, according to figures from the last KYTC traffic count done in February 2020. Trucks accounted for roughly 11% of the traffic. 

Meanwhile, Bullock said the state's recent analysis of crash data from March 2023 to March 2024 found 86 crashes on the bridge over that time, with five involving trucks.

The overall crashes are "a big number," he said. "But five of those involved a truck. So that's 6%. And so that also was a very small number. We're happy to see that."

Louisville-area chamber of commerce groups led the charge to keep large trucks off the bridge a decade ago as work on the long-awaited Ohio River Bridges Project marched forward. A chief concern was the expected shift in traffic patterns once the I-65 Kennedy and Lincoln bridges became tolled crossings.

Kerry Stemler, former chair of the Greater Louisville Inc. board, endorsed a ban on commercial trucks on the Clark Memorial in 2014 as estimates predicted an increase in traffic on the bridge from drivers looking to avoid tolls. He called it a wise move "from a safety perspective."

That stance was echoed by the One Southern Indiana chamber, which urged Indiana officials to consider keeping some trucks off the bridge. It formally asked for passenger vehicles only to be allowed.

In the end, those suggestions failed to advance and become public policy.

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