We crossed the Ohio River into Missouri at US-60/62 on an old bridge. But then we made the mistake of turning left and having to use the Cairo Mississippi Bridge to cross the Mississippi ....this was one of those moments when Andy spurts out - "For the love of God!"
Sharing this bridge with semi-tractor trailers was as unnerving as the two bridges we crossed at Land Between the Lakes. So much so that Andy had to do some research to learn more about these bridges. He found a great website called Bridge Hunters that gave us some cold hard facts.
All three recent scary bridges have a deck width of 20'. Is that the width inside the steel girders? We don't think so. Keep in mind, our RV is 8.5' wide. Our mirrors extended beyond the white and yellow lines.
The Barkley Lake bridge - built in 1932; current score of 41 out of 100; is 3,104' long. "Functionally obsolete"
The Kentucky Lake bridge - built in 1932; current score of 32 out of 100; is 3,495' long. "Structurally deficient"
The Cairo Mississippi bridge - built in 1929; current score of 46 out of 100; is 5,175' long. "Functionally obsolete"
We need our states to spend their money on areas by importance - not just the "shovel-ready" projects. They're re-paving roads that are in decent shape when bridges are obsolete and deficient. Crazy.
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