LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The tunnel near the Lewis and Clark Bridge closed in both directions Wednesday as crews did emergency maintenance after a sprinkler system went off, transportation officials said.
The southbound lanes of Kentucky 841 were shut down around 11 a.m., snarling traffic coming from Indiana and causing a standstill for drivers. Then, the northbound lanes were closed just after noon, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
KYTC said the total maintenance could take two or three hours. Drivers in Indiana took detours at the Port Road or Utica exits, and drivers from Kentucky exited at U.S. 42 in Prospect.
Shortly before 1 p.m., all lanes had reopened, KYTC tweeted.
It's unclear what caused the sprinklers to go off.
Jim Hannah, a KYTC spokesman, said there was a “routine inspection” scheduled for Wednesday morning in the southbound tunnel that did not require a lane closure.
“We are trying to piece together what caused the sprinklers to activate,” he said, adding that "we did not anticipate the water.”
Crews previously made repairs to the fire-suppression system in 2018 after pipes burst and sprinklers froze, causing damage about a year after the tunnel opened.
Emails obtained by WDRB News suggested that sensors meant to keep the broken pipes in the tunnel from freezing were installed in the wrong place. As a result, a Kentucky official concluded, it was not possible to gauge the actual temperatures of the pipes and warm them properly.
The tunnel and surrounding roads cost $495 million and were part of the $2.3 billion Ohio River Bridges Project. The underground route was controversial, because it avoided a mansion’s gardens due to alleged historic preservation concerns.
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