UPDATE 9:00 P.M. FRIDAY - I-471 northbound reopened to traffic late Friday. One northbound lane on the Daniel Carter Beard bridge remained closed.
"KYTC crews are working to reopen the various entrance ramps to northbound I-471, and these access points should be open to traffic later tonight," the agency said in a release.
Additionally, the Ohio Department of Transportation reports it has "expedited an emergency contract with Great Lakes Construction to repair the southbound approach to the bridge that connects Cincinnati, Ohio, to Newport, Kentucky. Southbound I-471 at the bridge crossing will remain closed until further notice."
I-471 was closed in both directions early Friday morning by a fire near Pete Rose Way under the Daniel Carter Beard (Big Mac) bridge.
The Cincinnati Fire Department said the fire was under control around 5:15 a.m., but the highway remained closed. The department says it responded to a call about a vehicle fire around 3:20 a.m. and found instead a large outdoor fire at Sawyer Point involving playground equipment. Fire Chief Frank McKinley says there were no vehicles involved, and no injuries reported.
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McKinley says the fire destroyed a playground made of wood, plastic and other materials. "Because of the source, the fuel that was involved in it, it created such a large source of heat that it began to compromise some of the integrity of the [bridge] structure," he says.
The cause is under investigation.
"We're looking at all options of how the fire started," McKinley says.
The bridge itself is the jurisdiction of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, but since the fire started on the Ohio side of the river, and beneath the approach to the bridge, the Ohio Department of Transportation is responsible.
ODOT Spokesman Matt Bruning says inspectors are on the scene, and will concentrate on the northbound lanes first, in hopes of reopening them.
"Our inspectors have completed looking at the northbound side of the north approach, just north of the actual bridge itself," he says. "We are working with KYTC right now on developing a plan for how we could reopen at least a couple of those northbound lanes at some point."
"The southbound side is going to remain closed until further notice," Bruning says. "At least three beams will need to be replaced on that portion of the structure. That will also necessitate the replacement of a portion of the bridge deck."
Bruning says there's no cost estimate yet, and a timetable for repairs and reopening are undetermined.
He says ODOT and KYTC have set up a website with the latest information on road closures and the status of the bridge.
Bruning says ODOT has entered an emergency contract with a company for repairs. He says that work could start as early as Friday night.
Northbound traffic was closed at the I-275 interchange. The ramps from I-71 to I-471 southbound, and from U.S. 50 east to I-471 southbound in Ohio were also closed.
ODOT and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet have created detours. Kathleen Fuller with ODOT District 8 says all access to the bridge from the north — Liberty Street, Fifth Street, southbound I-71, and US 50 — have been closed. Pete Rose Way directly beneath the bridge is also closed.
Fuller says motorists should plan ahead and give themselves extra time.
Cory Wilson with KYTC says all ramps to northbound I-471 in Kentucky are closed for the time being.
"We encourage everyone to use I-71/75, or I-275 to get around as a detour, or anyone of our other river crossings," Wilson says.
It's not the first time a major bridge over the river has been closed because of fire. In November 2020, the Brent Spence Bridge was severely damaged by a fire on the bottom deck of the northbound lanes of I-71/75. Two trucks collided on the bridge. One carrying potassium hydroxide ignited and essentially melted the top deck.
Repairs to the Brent Spence Bridge took about six weeks.
ODOT's Bruning says it's probably fair to compare the two incidents in terms of how long repairs may take.
"Obviously the damage will be a little different from the two bridges and the amount of damage, but you're looking at a similar repair [timeline]," he says. "It will not be days."
Live traffic updates are available from ODOT and the KYTC.
Jason Barron with Cincinnati Parks says they have put up barricades around the damaged area, under the bridge. "We need folks to stay away from (Sawyer Point) park right now. This is for park safety," he says. "We're trying to make sure you know where you can't go, but you gotta do your part and listen to us and make sure you stay away from those areas."
This story will be updated.
