KHIT 77, Natcher Bridge Cable Inspection (1B)

The US 231 Natcher Bridge over the Ohio River was completed in 2001. It contains a cable stayed 1,200 ft. main span and two 500 ft. side spans. The spans are supported by 96 stay cables suspend from two 300 ft. tall towers. The cables comprised of multiple sheathed strands enclosed in high density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic piping. The spaces inside the piping were to be completely filled with a cementatious grout to prevent open voids. It is intended to resist any moisture that breaches the piping from penetrating through the cables to the sheathed strands. KTC is proposing an extensive follow-on damage assessment and root cause failure analysis to determine the condition of the stay cables and prepare effective remedial actions to preserve them for future service. This project benefits the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in having to completely replace the stay cables sooner than their intended service life. This would result in savings of about one tenth of the total cost for replacement. The work done under this Phase IB proposal is a continuation of work presently funded as Phase IA and funded under Kentucky Highway Investigative Task 77 by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet