Editor's Note - This news release arrived after our deadline for our April 6 edition.
Engineers from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's Department of Highways, in cooperation with Illinois and Kentucky farmers, have worked out a solution to get the farmers from one side of the Ohio River to the other while the Shawneetown bridge is being repainted.
Farmers have had difficulty moving their equipment back and forth across the bridge because of painting work, associated equipment sitting on the bridge deck, and work platforms hanging from the bridge superstructure.
Chief District Engineer Ted Merryman contacted Lonnie Lewis, operator of the Cave-in-Rock Ferry, to determine if a temporary ferry service could be established at Shawneetown to assist the farmers.
"We were aware that he had an extra ferry that he uses for back-up at Cave-In-Rock. Through discussions with the affected farmers, they felt having the ferry available would be acceptable," Merryman said. Following a meeting with about 35 farmers on March 24th, District Two Transportation Engineer Branch Manager for Construction T.C. Chambers and his staff considered a number of options that would allow the farmers move their equipment across the river without seriously disrupting work on the bridge.
"If we had required the contractor to move his equipment off the bridge twice a week to allow large farm equipment to cross, it would have extended the project into next year. There would have also been substantial costs that would not have been good for taxpayers. If we had stopped the painting project where it is, paid the contractor and rebid the remainder of the work, there would have been even more costs, perhaps doubling the four million dollar cost of the entire project. Plus, it would have caused more delays that would extend the work into planting season next year," Chambers said.
That left a ferry as the only viable option.
"We've looked at the landings on both sides of the river and we're prepared to upgrade those, if needed. A highway engineer from the Illinois Department of Transportation attended our meeting with the farmers and offered their cooperation on the Illinois landing," Chambers said.
"We're especially appreciative of the cooperation and understanding we've received from the farmers. We recognize that this is their livelihood we're talking about, so getting their farm equipment back and forth across the river in a timely manner is a serious matter," Chambers. "From the beginning, we realized the urgent need to find a way to accommodate them."
Some three dozen farming operations depend on the bridge to transport heavy equipment on an almost daily basis. Some of the affected farmers till thousands of acres on both sides of the Ohio River and timely movement of equipment is critical.
Chambers says providing a ferry for the farmers will also serve to avoid delays for bridge traffic that would normally be blocked while farm equipment is crossing.
"The operation is contingent on the ferry operator getting a ramp constructed on short notice. He expects to have that done by sometime next week, so he can be ready for a test run," Chambers said.
Chambers said the preliminary contract calls for ferry service to be available three days a week until the painting project is completed.
"We expect the farmers to determine what schedule would work best for them," Chambers observed. "When the ferry starts we may need it to run some extra days to allow everyone to get their equipment moved to where it needs to be. After that, we'll leave it to the farmers. They may want the ferry to run Tuesday through Thursday, or they may prefer that it run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday but the intent is to operate the ferry three days per week. The days that it operates will be largely up to the farmers."
Chambers notes that the situation is pretty unusual because the bridge is only painted about every 25 to 30 years.
"Since the last time we painted this bridge there has a been a substantial increase in the scale of farming and the size of the equipment that our farmers are using. The clearance for both lanes on that bridge is about 23 to 24 feet. One farmer told me he has some equipment that is close to 21 feet in width. That doesn't leave much clearance even when both lanes are open," Chambers said.
Chambers says the level of cooperation and understanding on the part of the farmers has been helpful in working out a solution.
"They fully understand that the bridge has to be painted. I think they quickly realized that we understood their needs and were willing to do what was necessary to find a solution," Chambers said. " We just can't say enough about the level of cooperation we've received."
The Shawneetown Bridge connects KY 56 (Morganfield-Shawneetown Road) at the 0 mile marker with Illinois Route 13 across the Ohio River between Morganfield, Kentucky, and Shawneetown, Illinois. About 3200 vehicles cross the bridge each day.
The expected completion date on the painting contract is November 15, 2005.
