FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18 — Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is speeding up the removal of Frankfort’s Broadway Bridge days after the bridge had a partial collapse.
There are a lot of reasons to visit Frankfort, and this time of year, Robin Antenucci, the executive director of Franklin County and Frankfort’s Tourist Commission, says it's all about the water.
"We've seen a lot of boaters come up the river, we've got three operating tour companies on the river. So, it’s very important to us this time of year for sure,” says Antenucci.
It's one of this city's biggest attractions, that's why Sunday when Frankfort dispatch got a call about a partial collapse on the Broadway Bridge it was cause for safety concern.
Director of Emergency Management for Franklin County and Frankfort, Ray Kinney, says, "About 50-60 feet of concrete and railing had fallen off the side of the bridge."
Kinney explained that several agencies worked with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to secure this area. The U.S. Coast Guard put a safety zone in place from mile marker 65.5 to 66 through September, preventing access to that area of the water.
Kinney says, "The state's working to get this bridge demolished and that will take the risk of falling rail, concrete, and such out of the factor of an issue."
The area of the river being closed is causing many of the water-focused businesses here to be concerned.
Antenucci says, "A couple of our operators have been able to shift location and work out of the Frankfort Boat Club which is right near the singing bridge."
Nathan Depenbrock, the co-owner of two waterway businesses, Canoe Kentucky and Kentucky River Tours, says:
"The damage to the bridge over the Kentucky River in Frankfort and subsequent closing of the river to passage under the bridge will have significant impacts on both of our small family businesses. Those businesses are 43-year-old Canoe Kentucky and are more recent business Kentucky River Tours also known as the Bourbon Boat.
Almost every option we offer on the river passes under that bridge on a daily basis. Hundreds of people a day from our two companies go underneath that bridge as part of Art operations. Now that we can no longer pass under the bridge, our operations will be limited in what we can offer.
Canoe Kentucky will continue to offer operations downstream from the bridge, but all operations will now have to stay downstream of that bridge.
Kentucky River Tours, which boards all of its tours from downstream of that bridge, will no longer be able to board at our normal operating location, which is the Riverview Park in downtown Frankfort. All tours will now board at the Frankfort Boat Club, more centered in downtown Frankfort.
This location will work mostly the same, but the access is not quite as conducive as what we have always used. On top of that, our busiest season is the fall, so we are going into our busiest season, having to make changes to well-established plans. We have always taken a stance as a business to be proactive in dealing with business; now, we are being forced to be reactive.
The Kentucky River is a body of water that Frankfort has invested a lot of time and money into utilizing it as one of the state's premier tourist attractions. It is the one asset that Frankfort has that everybody has agreed is the one that our town should focus the majority of its tourism efforts on. Other towns around the country would be absolutely jealous to have a river running directly through its downtown. And now our town has literally been divided in half by a bridge on that river.
Our hope is that those involved in rectifying this dangerous situation can come to the table quickly and not leave this hanging for an indefinite amount of time. The Kentucky River is a federally navigable highway and, therefore, must be open for public use as well as commercial travel. This issue has been long coming, and now is the time that we are being forced to hopefully fix it quickly. Our best case scenario is that a temporary fix can be made to make the bridge safe for passage underneath, in the river can be opened while more permanent plans are discussed."
Covering Kentucky
Kentucky River under bridge closed until Sept. 6 due to collapse
"[We] urge patience. Don't walk under the bridge, don't boat under the bridge. You know we're working as quickly as we can to make this safe for everyone,” says Kinney.
The U.S. Coast Guard's safety zone will be in effect until at least September 6th. After the damaged portion of the bridge is removed officials plan to re-build the bridge as a pedestrian crossing. They hope to begin construction next year.
