After years of persistence to find funding, months of a construction and demolition of the previous bridge, officials were on hand at the new Lake Barkley Bridge in Trigg County Wednesday for a ribbon cutting.
The ribbon cutting not only welcomes drivers to the much larger and much safer four-lane bridge in Canton on U.S. 68-KY 80, it also officially opens the recreational trail that goes over the bridge. Senator Stan Humphries was on hand for the ribbon cutting and says the new bridge was much needed, joking that many people drove over the old, narrow bridge with a white-knuckled hold on the steering wheel.
Ann Taylor gave a history of the community around the bridge and what led up to it being built— the old bridge was built in 1932, where it stood until it was demolished in 2018.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Deputy Secretary Paul Looney says this is just one of many infrastructure projects that are taking place to help improve quality of life for Kentuckians.
Also known as the Henry Lawrence Memorial Bridge, attendees of the ribbon cutting where able to take advantage of the new walking trail and admire the new construction. The project has been many years in the making, first appearing on the Transportation Cabinet development plan in 1992.