Eggner's Ferry Bridge

Information and Findings From Replacement Project Studies

Overview

Eggner's Ferry Bridge spans the Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River) from the vicinity of Aurora in Marshall County to Land Between the Lakes in Trigg County. Its location is shown in Figure 2 of the FONSI. The Eggner's Ferry Bridge meets National Register criterion A for its association with the Murphey Toll Bridge Act and the US Senate bill authorizing the Tennessee Valley Authority to change bridges to accommodate power dams. The boundaries of this National Register-eligible resource are the structure and ear. 1en embankment contained between the two shorelines of Kentucky Lake.

Functional Characteristics

The west approach to the bridge is on an earthen embankment that extends about two-thirds of the way to the river channel (600 meters/1,970 feet) , with the remaining approach distance (311 meters/1,020 feet) bridged by short steel beam spans. The Tennessee River main channel and the Marshall-Trigg County line are crossed by the six main through truss spans ( 499 meters/1,637 feet total). The east approach (556 meters/1 ,824 feet) continues across the lake to the eastern shore with about equal lengths of steel beam spans and earthen embankment. The bridge has 6.1 meters (20 feet) of clearance between the guard rails.

Existing deficiencies of this bridge are described in section II of the FONS! under "Roadway and Major Bridge Deficiencies." These deficiencies include: narrow lanes, no shoulders, fractured and damaged members, inadequate seismic resistance strength, an undesirable horizontal navigation clearance, and an inadequate live load capacity.

The bridge is owned by the State of Kentucky and maintained by the Kentucky Department of Highways. It is an integral part of US 68/KY 80, a principal east-west highway in Western Kentucky. US 68/KY 80 also serves as the only east-west highway into and through the Land Between the Lakes. The Eggner's Ferry Bridge connects the recreation opportunities offered by Kenlake State Resort Park (on the western shore of Kentucky Lake) with the Land Between the Lakes. (See Figure 2 of the FONSI.) Pedestrians and bicyclists cannot safely use the bridge because of its narrow width.

Historical Characteristics

The Eggner's Ferry Bridge was opened to the public on March 20, 1932 ("Eggner's Ferry Bridge to be Opened Today, Courier Journal, March 25, 1932, Section 1, p. 18). The Eggner's Ferry Bridge was funded by the Murphey Toll Bridge Act passed by the Kentucky legislature in 1928, which authorized the State Department of Highways to construct bridges over larger rivers in the state. The Murphey Toll Bridge Act allowed the state to sell bonds, secured by the bridges and tolls collected thereon, to construct, operate and maintain bridges. As the result of this act, bridges also were completed at Boonesboro, Spottsville and Tyrone to span the Kentucky River and at Burnside, Canton (Lawrence Memorial Bridge) and Smithland over the Cumberland River (Powell, 1991 : 40).

In November 1941, the US Senate passed a bill authorizing the Tennessee Valley Authority to assume the cost of altering, reconstructing, or re locating highway and railroad bridges in connection with the construction of power dams ("Bill Passed to Let TVA Alter Bridges", Courier Journal, November 11 , 1941, Section 2, p. 1) The Eggner's Ferry Bridge was directly affected because the water that was impounded by the completion of the Kentucky Dam in 1944 inundated the bridge's approaches and reduced its navigation clearance (Powell, 1991: 60).
Eggner's Ferry Bridge was reopened to traffic. in February 1944 after being raised to accommodate the waters of Kentucky Lake ('Eggner's Ferry Bridge May Be Opened on Sunday", Courier Journal, February 25, 1944, Section 1, p. 8).