CAIRO – The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will hold a public meeting regarding the replacement of the U.S. 51 Ohio River ‘Cairo’ Bridge on Thursday, July 11, from 5 to 8 p.m., at Cairo High School, located at 4201 Sycamore Street, in Cairo.

The public will get an update on the new river crossing that will provide safer, improved highway connectivity in western Kentucky and southern Illinois.

The project, which is still in the preliminary design phase, calls for the new river crossing to be constructed approximately 1,000 feet upstream from the existing U.S. 51 Ohio River Bridge.

Preliminary plans for the new bridge feature a roundabout for U.S. 51/U.S. 60/U.S. 62 at the Illinois end of the structure. The roadway for the new bridge will tie to existing U.S. 51 near the Minor Slough Bridge in Kentucky.

Depending on funding, construction of the new bridge is tentatively scheduled to start in 2028 and is expected to take four to five years to complete.

The existing U.S. 51 Ohio River Bridge opened to traffic on Nov 11, 1936.

Written and oral comments will be accepted during the meeting. After the meeting, materials and displays will be available on the project website at www.US51bridge.com.