Newport and Cincinnati Bridge

About this property

The Purple People Bridge is a pedestrian-only bridge that stretches 2,670 feet over the Ohio River, connecting Newport, Kentucky to downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. It previously carried rail, streetcar, and vehicular traffic. The original bridge first opened on April 1, 1872, under the name Newport and Cincinnati Bridge, and was Cincinnati's first railroad bridge spanning the Ohio River. In its original configuration, the bridge had one railroad track and featured two roadways cantilevered outside the trusses. The bridge piers were built with stone from Adams County, Ohio. In 1896 a reconstruction of the bridge began designed by engineer M. J. Becker. This was done to modernize the bridge, as it had become obsolete with the increased weight and frequency of trains. Tolls were to be collected on the carriage deck, in order to pay for the bridge's maintenance, as well as to make a profit. The piers were extended to the west, carrying two new streetcar decks and a vehicular deck between them. This work also rebuilt the existing railroad deck into a Pennsylvania truss and four Parker trusses. The bridge's approaches were also reconstructed. Work was completed in December 1897. In 1904, the bridge was renamed the L&N (Louisville and Nashville) Railroad Bridge, when that company purchased it. Soon after, the vehicle deck was given a new asphalt driving surface for automobiles, among other improvements. After the opening of the Dixie Terminal's lower level on November 27, 1921, the CN&C's streetcar tracks were reconfigured to cross the nearby Central Bridge, and the L&N Railroad Bridge was restricted to emergency use only. In 1928, the Kentucky Highway Department proposed purchasing the vehicular deck and streetcar deck alongside their respective truss section, in order to eliminate tolls. This was met with resistance from the L&N Railroad since the tolls started to become profitable with the increase in automobile traffic. However, the city threatened to build a competing bridge nearby, fearing this, a deal was eventually struck, and on November 15, 1935, these parts of the bridge were sold. Tolls were not removed immediately, as a three percent interest rate needed to be paid off. However, on November 11, 1941, at 2 p.m., tolls were abolished from the crossing after the bonds for the purchase had been paid off. An hour later, a dedication of the now free bridge by the mayor and other officials was held. On July 3, 1950, the bridge's streetcar tracks were closed. The west track was for the most part demolished, and the east track was replaced by a new pedestrian walkway. In 1956, a loop ramp from 3rd Street was opened to traffic, replacing the at-grade intersection, while a new ramp was also built to connect to the Columbia Parkway, the latter of which was the reason the ramp was built. Also around this time, the railroad deck was altered to go in one direction at peak travel times in the mornings and evenings.

Location

Categories

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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