Description: This photograph was taken from the L&N Bridge, looking west towards the Central Bridge and the Suspension Bridge (a slightly obstructed view), all of which span the Ohio River, connecting Cincinnati to Kentucky. The Ohio River is the largest tributary of the Mississippi River and is about 981 miles long. It begins at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in Point State Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It forms the border between Ohio and West Virginia, as well as Ohio and Kentucky, Indiana and Kentucky and Illinois and Kentucky. It joins the Mississippi near Cairo, Illinois. The first bridge, from left to right, is the L&N Bridge or Louisville & Nashville RR Bridge, opened in 1872 as the Newport & Cincinnati Bridge and was the first railroad bridge to cross the Ohio River in Cincinnati. The bridge was modified in 1897 to include street car and horse and cart traffic. In 1904, the cart path was paved for automobiles and the bridge renamed as the L&N Bridge after its new owners. By the late 1940's street car service was removed and in 1987 railroad traffic ceased. By the 1990's the bridge was lightly used by automobile traffic, and was officially renamed the CSX Bridge after new owners. On April 17, 2001 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, closed to automobiles in 2002, and reopened in 2003 after a $4 million renovation as a pedestrian only bridge. The center bridge, called the Central Bridge or Cincinnati & Newport Bridge, was finished in 1890 and was the first "standard" cantilever truss bridge to be built. Located next to the L&N Bridge seen in the background, the Central Bridge had a similar type and length of approach spans to that of the L&N bridge, with the piers built from identical stone. Demolished in 1992, the bridge was replaced by the Taylor-Southgate Bridge in 1995. The last bridge, locally known as "The Suspension Bridge", was designed by engineer John A. Roebling, the Covington and Cincinnati Bridge was completed in December of 1866, following a decade of construction which was delayed by the Civil War and financial constraints. At the time it was built, the bridge had the longest main span in the world and was also the first bridge to use both vertical suspenders and diagonal stays branching out from the towers. The bridge was remodeled in 1894 to widen the deck and to accommodate more weight. The bridge was named the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge in 1984. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F18_016
Subjects: Cincinnati (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.; Bridges--Ohio River; Ohio River; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)