The former Clays Ferry bridges on Interstate 75, crossing the Kentucky River, Aug. 2, 1989. This view is looking north from Madison County into Fayette County. The bridge on the right was built in 1946 as a link over the Kentucky for U.S. 25. The bridge at left was added in 1963, and the two bridges became part of I-75. This photo was taken when it was announced that almost $70 million would be spent on major I-75 improvements in Fayette, Scott and Madison counties under the state’s six-year road plan. The plan called for widening 36 miles of I-75 around Lexington to six lanes, including a new I-75 bridge at Clays Ferry. Construction of the $32 million bridge, 245.5 feet above the Kentucky River, began in 1994. The bridge, which extends 713 feet across the Kentucky River, was converted into a a single six-lane structure with full shoulders. Completed in 1998, the northbound and southbound roads are each 60 feet wide, twice the width before the renovation. Bridge traffic increased from 30,000 vehicles a day in 1986 to about 40,000 when this picture was taken. In 2015, it was 75,000. Click here to see a picture from our archives of the bridge being built in 1944. Photo by Charles Bertram | Staff