LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Clark Memorial Bridge reopened to traffic Wednesday afternoon, but only to southbound traffic.

Crews have started work to repair the sidewalk damaged on March 1, when a four-vehicle crash sent a semitruck through safety barriers that left it dangling over the Ohio River. The crash closed the bridge in both directions for more than 24 hours

Commonly called the Second Street Bridge, it connects downtown Louisville to southern Indiana.

The bridge was closed to traffic completely around 9 a.m. Wednesday as crews set up traffic control devices for the repairs, and partially reopened in the late afternoon to southbound traffic only, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

2nd street bridge crash - towing up semi - 3.1.24

A look at the semitruck being towed up from the side of the 2nd Street Bridge after two cars, a pickup truck and semitruck crashed, leaving the semitruck dangling over the edge of the bridge. (Photo courtesy of Suburban Towing on Facebook)

Drivers who usually take the bridge from Louisville to Indiana will need to find another route until the repairs are finished in mid-April.

"Public safety has been and will continue to be our top priority as we work to quickly repair isolated sidewalk and railing damage on the Clark Memorial bridge," Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray said in a news release. "This requires a great deal of coordination and fine-tuning with engineers on the two bridge projects to maintain as many travel options as possible for drivers while repairs are underway."

Crews will restripe the bridge to restrict access to southbound-only traffic during repairs. Officials with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet KYTC said the timing of that change will be coordinated with the ongoing Sherman Minton Bridge construction. The southbound lanes of traffic will remain open through the repair project.

KYTC recommends northbound travelers to detour onto Interstate 64 on the Sherman Minton Bridge or take Interstate 65 from the Kennedy Bridge. 

Both sidewalks of the Clark Memorial Bridge will remain closed to pedestrians until repairs have been completed.

KYTC officials said intermittent full closures during non-peak travel times are also expected to allow for crews to deliver and set bridge beams.

Damage to the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge (the Second Street Bridge) recorded on May 17, 2022

The repair work is expected to be completely finished by mid-April, and the city said the work won't interfere with the planning of Thunder Over Louisville, which closes the bridge to traffic for three days.

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