DAVIESS CO., Ky. (WFIE) – A state of emergency was declared in Daviess County on Wednesday.
Judge Executive Al Mattingly made the declaration because of the closure of the Panther Creek bridge.
“The best thing to do would be to declare a state of emergency,” Mattingly said. “By doing that we hope that it allows the state to move at a more rapid pace.”
The bridge was damaged in August by a truck hauling scrap metal. Transportation officials tell us some of the scrap metal hanging off the truck hit the bridge and severely damaged the superstructure.
The bridge has been closed ever since and officials figure out how to fund costly repairs.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced Wednesday the bridge can be fixed. It’s good news considering engineers first thought it may need to be completely replaced.
“We just need everyone to be patient,” Keith Todd with KYTC said. “We’re plugging along here and doing all the engineering work required to get the bridge open and make sure it’s safe once it does get open.”
The estimated timeline is still vague for the project, but an expedited bid process will also help save time during the repair.
