November 8, 2024Nov 8 I've seen multiple box trucks and even a large tour bus with Michigan plates cross the Roebling this week because of traffic. ODOT/KTC needs to add big yellow cross bars at the entrance limiting the height to 12' or less to keep the big vehicles off the bridge. The traffic circle on the Ohio side does nothing as they just jump the curb, and one of these days they will cause more structural damage.
November 8, 2024Nov 8 Yeah, it's going to be even more chaotic if the Roebling is damaged and has to close as well. I'm surprised KTC hasn't already done something to limit access on the KY side, or at least signage directing large vehicles to the Clay Wade Bailey.
November 19, 2024Nov 19 Officials: Damage to Big Mac Bridge worse than initially believed, traffic patterns changing to cross Ohio River "I do know that there was more damage than we could see before," explained Kathleen Fuller, a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Transportation. "We knew it was bad, but we know now that it is worse than it was. "It's going to require a detailed design and there's going to have to be fabrication of these materials that...they don't exist right now," Fuller continued. That could mean an even longer repair process before the southbound lanes of I-471 are re-opened. They definitely need to re-time some traffic lights in the mean time. Third Street in Newport and the Taylor Southgate Bridge are gridlocked with the amount of extra traffic they're carrying. Downtown Cincinnati is less of an issue because there are multiple routes that traffic and take to get to/from the bridge, but there could still be some changes to improve the flow.
November 19, 2024Nov 19 On 11/8/2024 at 12:43 PM, Lazarus said: One of my coworkers called off sick on Wednesday because there was a wreck on the Brent Spence Bridge and he didn't know that the 471 bridge was closed. According to him, he spent an hour creeping on I-75 south, saw the wreck, decided to take 471 instead, but couldn't use it so he did a U-turn on Columbia Parkway and drove home. I don't know how you don't know that a major bridge is out...except maybe now in the era of cell phones and hyper-fragmented news, people aren't getting much local news at all. Most people don't hook up their rabbit ears or take the paper. They might listen to the radio because it's on at work. But once you are actually at work you're way more likely to hear Another One Bites the Dust than traffic updates due to the time of day. Joe Rogan can't help with that either.
November 27, 2024Nov 27 https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2024/11/27/odot-daniel-carter-big-mac-bridge-471-reopen-fire.html Ohio transportation officials outline timetable to reopen Big Mac Bridge - The Daniel Carter Beard Bridge may reopen by mid-March. - Repairs involve custom materials and could face weather delays. - The bridge serves about 100,000 vehicles daily. Sounds like they are demolishing and re-building 7.600 sqft of bridge deck and the associated steel girders. It doesn't mention it, but maybe this will lead to them re-painting the bridge too like when the BSB had to be repaired from fire damage. Lord knows it's barely yellow anymore.
November 28, 2024Nov 28 Today 700WLW's Bill Cunningham mentioned that a)there is footage of the fire's origins and b)the city moved homeless out of their various encampments a week earlier for Blink. He left listeners to fill in the dots...
December 11, 2024Dec 11 Arrest made in connection to Daniel Carter Beard Bridge fire Authorities have arrested a woman in connection with the fire that erupted Nov. 1, causing significant damage to the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge – otherwise known as the Big Mac Bridge – and leading to the closure of its southbound lanes for repairs. The Cincinnati Fire Department announced during a Tuesday, Dec. 10, press conference that 24-year-old Kaitlen Hall has been taken into custody, according to a report from Courier news partner WKRC-TV Local 12. Hall faces two felony counts of obstruction of justice, officials said. "We have to be very careful. [It is] a sensitive topic of the investigation," Cincinnati Fire Chief Frank McKinley said. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2024/12/10/arrest-big-mac-bridge-fire-kaitlen-hall-felony.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
December 23, 2024Dec 23 The update was never posted but more arrests were made: https://www.fox19.com/2024/12/20/daniel-carter-beard-bridge-fire-suspects-indicted-additional-charges/ Quote All four suspects were indicted by a grand jury Friday following the Nov. 1 blaze at a playground under the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, also called the Big Mac Bridge, court records reveal: - Terry Lee Stiles, 39, of Arlington Heights: Three counts of aggravated arson and one count of arson. Previously one count of aggravated arson. - Zachary Allen Stumpf, 23, of Owensville in Clermont County: Three counts of aggravated arson and one count of arson. Previously one count of aggravated arson. - Kaitlen Hall, 24, of Arlington Heights: Two counts of obstruction of justice. - James Hamilton, 26, of Arlington Heights: Two counts of obstruction of justice. If convicted of all charges, the prosecutor says Stumpf and Stiles could each face a maximum sentence of 38-and-a-half years
December 25, 2024Dec 25 While detouring across the Taylor Southgate Bridge over the past month I have noticed how much the paint on the truss has deteriorated especially on the southern end. There are large areas where the paint has failed and there are exposed rusted areas of bare steel. While not a structural problem it looks like a case of neglect and provides a sad gateway to and from Newport. I wonder if KCTC will paint the bridge after the I-471 detours are done but before traffic gets worse from the Brent Spence traffic detours. Visitors to the area for the planned River Festival in October 2025 will have a poor impression when we cannot complete maintenance in the heart our riverfront. I don't think the bridge has been repainted since it was constructed in the 1990's. Edited December 25, 2024Dec 25 by GHOST TRACKS
December 25, 2024Dec 25 21 minutes ago, GHOST TRACKS said: While detouring across the Taylor Southgate Bridge over the past month I have noticed how much the paint on the truss has deteriorated especially on the southern end. There are large areas where the paint has failed and there are exposed rusted areas of bare steel. While not a structural problem it looks like a case of neglect and provides a sad gateway to and from Newport. I wonder if KCTC will paint the bridge after the I-471 detours are done but before traffic gets worse from the Brent Spence traffic detours. Visitors to the area for the planned River Festival in October 2025 will have a poor impression when we cannot complete maintenance in the heart our riverfront. I don't think the bridge has been repainted since it was constructed in the 1990's. Yeah it's still the original paint job, which is pretty impressive.
December 26, 2024Dec 26 All of Newport's bridges need new paint. Purple People is most obvious but Big Mac is hardly yellow anymore either. Southgate as you said is also peeling pretty bad. The good news is that Baynum Painting is located in Newport and literally specializes in painting bridges and roller coasters and other large exposed steel structures, the bad news is that it's expensive so unless KYTC allocates some money, or Southgate Partners get a big donation for the purple people, it's not happening anytime soon. BSB got repainted in full after the truck fire so maybe Big Mac will get some love after its own emergency repairs are done too.
December 26, 2024Dec 26 57 minutes ago, ucgrady said: All of Newport's bridges need new paint. Purple People is most obvious but Big Mac is hardly yellow anymore either. Southgate as you said is also peeling pretty bad. The good news is that Baynum Painting is located in Newport and literally specializes in painting bridges and roller coasters and other large exposed steel structures, the bad news is that it's expensive so unless KYTC allocates some money, or Southgate Partners get a big donation for the purple people, it's not happening anytime soon. BSB got repainted in full after the truck fire so maybe Big Mac will get some love after its own emergency repairs are done too. People people has been getting small sections painted over the past couple of years and will continue. It'll eventually be all painted. But it's going to take awhile.
February 7Feb 7 Southbound lanes of I-471, the Big Mac Bridge, to reopen ahead of schedule Southbound lanes of Interstate 471, crossing the Ohio River over the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, are reopening to traffic a month ahead of schedule, clearing up a snarl in the commutes of many downtown workers. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Feb. 7 that southbound I-471, across what is better known as the Big Mac Bridge, will reopen Sunday, Feb. 9, exactly 100 days after a fire caused structural damage. “Reopening southbound access to this bridge in just over three months is a tremendous accomplishment," DeWine said in a news release. "The closure of these lanes wasn't only an inconvenience but also a disruption to the supply chain."
February 7Feb 7 On 12/26/2024 at 10:31 AM, ucgrady said: Purple People is most obvious It was only purple for 2~ years. It faded to blue almost immediately. It hasn't been purple for 20 years. That's why you don't paint stuff bright colors. It costs more and fades right away. The Big Mac was repainted around 2005. I remember it being so vividly yellow that it hurt my eyes to look at. Whoever painted the beams beneath the north approach went nuts with the sprayer and messily painted a bunch of the underside of the deck.
March 4Mar 4 11 hours ago, Lazarus said: 3CDC donated some leftover Fountain Square LED's to the I-275 overpass over Kellog Ave: Is this a joke? I honestly don't know when you're being sarcastic or not.
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