Local News
By Joseph Hammann, Staff Writer
In early November, a large fire broke out on the Daniel Carter Beard bridge and various parts of Interstate 471. This fire has caused a large remembrance of another major fire that broke out on the Brent Spence Bridge in November 2020 from a crash with a tanker.
The Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, named after a famous Boy Scout leader, stretches over the Ohio River. It connects passengers between Ohio and Kentucky on I-471 and is also known as the Big Mac Bridge due to its yellow arch design.
The fire shut down both lanes of the bridge and nearby parts of Interstate 471, which carries rush hour traffic between Ohio and Kentucky to other highways and side streets.
The crew investigating the fire was dispatched at around 3:30 a.m on Nov.1. The crew stayed on the scene in order to find any hot spots that could have been burning points which sparked the fire.
Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, as it stood carrying traffic between Ohio and Kentucky.
.Both the Cincinnati Fire Unit and Cincinnati Police Department are working to find the cause of the fire and point of origin. There has been no ruling yet, but various pieces of plastic and playground equipment at the Sawyer Point Park also played a role in the fueling of the fire, according to investigators. As of now, no injuries have been reported.
As of right now, Northbound is currently open, but Southbound is not.
Until the bridge is properly inspected and repaired, it will remain closed. According to Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) press secretary Matt Bruning, authorities will inspect the north side of the bridge before the south side because it has fewer damages and is still open. At least three steel beams have suffered serious damage and need to be replaced along with an entire portion of the bridge’s deck and a sign truss. It is estimated that repairs will take about six weeks, and the cost is speculated to cost millions of dollars.
Later that morning, the ODOT entered an emergency contract with Great Lakes Construction to help with these bridge repairs. In its most recent update, the ODOT has confirmed that this upcoming weekend forecast of rain isn’t deterring the repair efforts and new concrete footers for shoring towers will be shipped to Cincinnati and installed to stabilize the damaged parts of I-471.
