Repairs on the Carroll Cropper Bridge, the I-275 passage over the Ohio River between Kentucky and Indiana, will likely impact drivers throughout the summer, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced Friday. Steel repairs on the bridge are expected to begin Monday, but lane restrictions and speed reductions on the bridge will last for roughly three to four months, KYTC said. Lane restrictions began on the bridge in December, when KYTC announced steel deterioration was found during a recent inspection."This bridge repair project follows a federally required inspection of older bridges across the country built with 'T-1' steel a high-strength, quenched and treated steel known for being highly amenable to welding and machining," reads a press release from KYTC. "Potential issues had been found in other states with certain types of welds, which needed to be tested." Those tests began in 2023, when an engineering firm that inspected the bridge tested 600 welds on it and subsequently identified 15 locations that needed future repairs, but that those repair needs did not pose immediate safety issues. But in December, bridge engineering analysis done by KYTC showed that other repairs unrelated to the T-1 steel and weld issues would be needed. Specifically, KYTC found the new repairs were necessary in order for an expansion joint and floor beam replacement the bridge needs. KYTC combined the repair plan created in response to the 2023 inspections with a new plan to fix the issues discovered in December; that new plan will now expedite all repairs needed on the bridge, KYTC said. As of now, concrete barriers have been installed on the bridge to protect contractors during the emergency repair work. One lane is also closed until the repairs are done. While repairs are done, the bridge will also have a reduced speed limit of 55 mph, down from I-275's typical 65 mph limit. In addition, KYTC has issued weight limits for large emergency vehicles: Single Axle: 16 tons Tandem Axle: 23 tons Gross Weight: 31 tonsThat weight limit will be lifted once the floor beam repairs are complete, KYTC said. The repairs are slated to cost roughly $3.6 million and will be completed by contractor M&M Services. If weather permits, the project should be fully done at some point this summer, though KYTC didn't provide a specific date. More than 40,000 people take the bridge every day, so closing down half the lanes on the bridge has impacted commuters, particularly in southeast Indiana.Alternative routes that have been suggested are US-50, or taking I-275 over to I-74. But for some drivers we spoke with, that's still not a full solution.