Big Four Bridge

Last updated

Big Four Bridge
Big Four Bridge, May 2013.jpg
The Big Four Bridge from various angles in May 2013
Coordinates 38°15′56″N85°44′20″W / 38.26556°N 85.73889°W / 38.26556; -85.73889
CarriesPedestrians and cyclists
Crosses Ohio River
Locale Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana, United States
Characteristics
Total length2,525 ft (770 m)
Longest span547 ft (167 m)
Clearance above 53 ft (16 m)
History
Construction cost$3.5 million [1]
Opened1895
ClosedEnd of railroad use 1968
Location
Big Four Bridge

The Big Four Bridge is a six-span former railroad truss bridge that crosses the Ohio River, connecting Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana. It was completed in 1895, updated in 1929, taken out of rail service in 1968, and converted to bicycle and pedestrian use in 2014. The largest single span is 547 feet (167 m), with the entire bridge spanning 2,525 feet (770 m). It took its name from the defunct Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, which was nicknamed the "Big Four Railroad".

Contents

Access to the Big Four Bridge is limited to pedestrian and bicycle use. A pedestrian ramp on the Kentucky side was opened on February 7, 2013. The original approaches that carried rail traffic onto the main spans were first removed in 1974–1975, earning the Big Four Bridge the nickname "Bridge That Goes Nowhere". The George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge downstream, which carries U.S. 31 across the river, was previously the only bridge allowing bicyclists and pedestrians to travel between Louisville and the neighboring Indiana cities of New Albany, Clarksville, and Jeffersonville.

In February 2011, Kentucky and Indiana announced that the two states, along with the City of Jeffersonville, would allocate $22 million in funding to complete the Big Four Bridge project, creating a pedestrian and bicycle path to link Louisville and Jeffersonville. Indiana would spend up to $8 million and the City of Jeffersonville would provide $2 million in matching dollars to pay for construction of a ramp to the Big Four Bridge. Kentucky pledged $12 million to replace the deck on the bridge and connect it to the spiral ramp that was completed in Waterfront Park.

On February 7, 2013, the Louisville ramp was opened for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. [2] Initially planned for August 2013, the Jeffersonville ramp opened on May 20, 2014. [3]

Description

The Big Four Bridge is a six-span bridge, totaling 2,525 ft (770 m) long, [4] with a clearance of 53 ft (16 m). The northernmost span is a riveted, 8-panel Parker through truss. The next three spans are 547 ft (167 m) long, and are riveted, 16-panel Pennsylvania through trusses. The two southern spans are riveted, 10-panel Parker through trusses. [5] It carried a single track of railway.

History

Unissued share of the Louisville and Jeffersonville Bridge Company Louisville and Jeffersonville Bridge Company 18xx.jpg
Unissued share of the Louisville and Jeffersonville Bridge Company
Photo of Big Four Bridge in Baird's History of Clark County, Indiana, published in 1909 Old Big 4 Bridge.jpg
Photo of Big Four Bridge in Baird's History of Clark County, Indiana, published in 1909

The Big Four Bridge was first conceived in Jeffersonville in 1885 by various city interests. The Louisville and Jeffersonville Bridge Company was formed in 1887 to construct the Big Four Bridge, after a charter by the state of Indiana; Kentucky also chartered the company in 1888. The riverboat industry, a big economic factor in Jeffersonville, had requested that the bridge be built further upstream from the Falls of the Ohio, but the United States Army Corps of Engineers approved the building site, even after the vocal protestations. [6]

Construction

Construction began on October 10, 1888. The Big Four Bridge would be the only Louisville bridge with serious accidents during its building; thirty-seven individuals died during its construction. The first fourteen died on January 9, 1890, at 5:40 PM while working on Pier Number 5 foundation when a caisson that was supposed to hold back the river water flooded, drowning the workers. Another six men died a few months later on May 14, 1890, at 5:10 PM when a wooden beam broke while working on a different pier, Pier Number 4 caisson. [6]

The Big Four Bridge had one of the biggest bridge disasters in the United States, occurring on December 15, 1893, at 10:20 AM when a construction crane was dislodged by a severe wind, causing the falsework support of a truss to be damaged and the truss—with forty-one workers on it—to fall into the Ohio River. Twenty of the workers survived, but twenty-one died. The accident almost cost more lives, as a ferry crossing the Ohio River just barely missed being hit by the truss. Hours later, a span next to the damaged span also fell into the river, but was unoccupied at the time, causing no injuries. As a result, falsework was longitudely reinforced to prevent further occurrences, and also to prevent strong winds from causing similar damage by using special bracing on the bottom frame of the truss. Also, a new rule was enforced: "never trust a bolted joint any longer than is necessary to put a riveted one in place". [6]

The Belle of Louisville crossing under the Bridge in the 2008 Great Steamboat Race Big 4 Bridge Belle of Louisville.jpg
The Belle of Louisville crossing under the Bridge in the 2008 Great Steamboat Race

The Big Four Bridge was finally completed in September 1895. Due to the various accidents, the Louisville and Jeffersonville Bridge Company was financially strapped after building the bridge, and later in 1895 sold it to the Indianapolis-based Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad. This gave the railway its first entry into the Louisville market, although the railroad would have likely used the bridge even if they had not bought it, as they desired access to Louisville. [6]

Rail operation

One effect of the opening of the Big Four Bridge was increased transportation of freight by rail, significantly decreasing the number of packet boats that at one time crossed the Ohio River by the dozens. [7]

On February 19, 1904, a Baltimore and Ohio train accidentally crossed the Big Four Bridge, due to engineer Dick Foreman falling asleep and going the wrong way at Otisco, Indiana. The fireman kept shoveling coal and did not pay attention. It was the conductor that finally noticed the error midway across the Big Four Bridge. The wayward train had to back up all the way back to Otisco. [8]

On September 12, 1905, the first interurban crossed the Big Four Bridge. On January 14, 1918, two interurbans collided on the Big Four Bridge at 5:30 PM in a blinding snowstorm, killing three passengers (Thomas Alvey, George Greenwald, and Leo Hagan), and injuring twenty aboard. [9] [10] [11]

Due to the increasing weight of the rail traffic, contracts were finalized in June 1928 to build a bigger Big Four Bridge, which opened on June 25, 1929. The new Big Four Bridge was built on the piers of the old bridge, a "novel building process", as it sped up the time necessary to build the new bridge; the old one served to reinforce the new one as it was being built. The old piers would still be used, but the falsework was entirely removed. During construction, the Big Four Bridge's usual rail traffic was routed over the Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Bridge. The interurbans that used the Big Four Bridge would instead disembark at Sellersburg, Indiana, and have the passengers board buses into Louisville for the duration of the Big Four's reconstruction. [6]

Adjacent Highway Bridge

In 1961 the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge was built to carry I-65 over the Ohio River. Because of the location of the Big Four Bridge and the growth of the Kennedy Interchange, the interchange had to avoid the columns that were on the approach to the bridge, causing the interchange to have several two-lane ramps rather than a single stretch of highway, and helped earn the nickname Spaghetti Junction. [12]

Ownership

In 1988 Oscar Arias, President of Costa Rica, contacted Louisville mayor Jerry Abramson to inquire about buying the bridge to dismantle it and reassemble in Costa Rica, as he believed it would be cheaper to import the bridge than build a new one. At the time the city did not actually own the bridge, and the plan never went through. [13]

Post-railway use

The Big Four Bridge fell into disuse after the Big Four Railroad's parent company, the New York Central Railroad, was merged into the Penn Central in 1968. The last train ran across the bridge on March 10, 1968. The Big Four Bridge's former traffic was then routed over Louisville's Fourteenth Street Bridge. From July 26, 1974, to January 1975, both approach spans were removed by the Detzel Construction Company of Cincinnati, Ohio and were sold for scrap. As a result, the Big Four Bridge became the first Louisville bridge to fall out of use, and gained the nickname "Bridge That Goes Nowhere". [6] [10]

During the 1970s and 1980s, local radio station WLRS-102 FM lit up the Big Four Bridge as part of their "Bridge the Gap" Christmas promotion, which was used as a fund raiser for needy local families. Some of the lights spelled out "LRS 102".

After unsuccessful litigation to stop the project, the Big Four Bridge was converted into a pedestrian and bicycle bridge as part of Louisville Waterfront Park and the ongoing revitalization of the Louisville riverfront. This conversion had been proposed and planned since the 1990s.

Pedestrians walking on the Big Four Bridge's Louisville ramp Big Four Bridge, opening weekend.jpg
Pedestrians walking on the Big Four Bridge's Louisville ramp

In February 2013, pedestrians were allowed to access the completed bridge from the ramp on the Kentucky side. The Indiana ramp opened on May 20, 2014. [3] Lighting along the bridge is required for safety and had been redesigned to please nearby residents. [14] Originally, the lighting was to be similar to those on the Kentucky side, [15] which has computer-controlled lights that can show various colors. [16] The Indiana construction also had to be cautious of historic properties. [17]

During Thunder Over Louisville, the Big Four Bridge sets the limit on how close private boats can get to the fireworks, which are centered three bridges away on the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge.[ citation needed ]

The Waterfront Development Corporation spent $500,000 in upgrades to the Louisville Waterfront Park near the bridge, which took place from late 2015 to early 2016. Improvements included additional landscaping, a new path west from the ramp, and a plaza underneath the bridge. [18]

Fires

Closeup of May 7, 2008, fire Big 4 Fire VI.jpg
Closeup of May 7, 2008, fire

Between its closing as a rail bridge and its reopening as a pedestrian span, the bridge has seen occasional fires; two in the 1970s, one in 1987 and one in 2008. In 1987 Christmas lights posted on the bridge to promote a toy drive started the fire; both the Jeffersonville and Louisville Fire Departments fought six to eight hours to put out the blaze. [19] [20]

On May 7, 2008, the bridge caught fire a quarter-mile (400 m) north of the Louisville end, shortly after noon, 70 to 80 ft (21 to 24 m) above the Ohio River; [20] suspected to have started from an electrical problem. This fire was more troublesome due to the age and condition of the bridge; the wood trusses on the bridge were unsafe for firefighters to scale, due to the fire on the bridge ten years before. Louisville Fire & Rescue chief Greg Frederick decided that firefighters were not to be sent onto the bridge; a boat from the Harrods Creek Fire Department was used to put out the fire, as Louisville's fire boat did not have a hose that could reach the blaze on the bridge.

It took two and a half hours to control the fire. Navigation lights used for the heavy barge traffic were being changed at the time of the report. The Coast Guard shut down river traffic for about a mile around the bridge due to falling debris. An official determination on the cause of the fire was expected in June 2008. [21] [22] [23] [ needs update ]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Bridgehunter.com - Big Four Bridge". Bridgehunter.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
  2. ↑ Staff (February 7, 2013). "Big Four bridge opens in Louisville". Business First of Louisville . American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Finally: Big Four Bridge opens to fanfare in Jeffersonville – After months of delays, Mayor Mike Moore officially opens the long-awaited pedestrian and bicycle bridge", News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, IN, May 20, 2014, archived from the original on April 7, 2016, retrieved July 25, 2015, That all changed at 2 p.m. today with a ceremonial opening of the Jeffersonville side by Mayor Mike Moore, who was joined by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer at the top of Jeffersonville's ramp.
  4. ↑ Longest, David E. (2005). Railroad Depots of Southern Indiana. Arcadia. ISBN   0-7385-3958-9. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Bridgehunter - Big Four Railroad Bridge - Facts". BridgeHunter.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kleber, John E. (2000). Encyclopedia of Louisville. University Press of Kentucky. p. 89. ISBN   0-8131-2100-0. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  7. ↑ Schrage, Robert. (2006). Along the Ohio River:Cincinnati to Louisville. Arcadia Publishing. p. 52. ISBN   0-7385-4308-X.
  8. ↑ "ASLEEP AT THE THROTTLE.; Train Takes Wrong Route While Engineer Naps for an Hour" (PDF). The New York Times . February 20, 1904. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  9. ↑ Gerald O. Haffner (1985). An Informal History of Clark County, Indiana. Whipporwill Publications. p. 111.
  10. 1 2 Heim, Michael (2007). Exploring Indiana Highways: Trip Trivia. Wabasha, Minn.: T.O.N.E. Pub. p. 141. ISBN   978-0-9744358-3-1.
  11. ↑ "Sunny Side of Louisville - Landmarks". Clark-Floyd Department of Tourism. Archived from the original on June 8, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  12. ↑ Chip Nold; Julie Segal; James Nold; Bob Bahr (1997). The Insiders' Guide to Louisville, Ky & Southern Indiana . Manteo, NC: Published and distributed by Insiders' Pub. p.  30. ISBN   1-57380-043-0.
  13. ↑ McDonough, Rick (June 30, 1988). "Costa Rican may want to buy Big Four Bridge, move it south". The Courier-Journal . pp. 1B.
  14. ↑ "Jeffersonville side of Big Four Bridge to open with temporary lighting". WDRB. April 2, 2014. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Lighting issues delay opening of Ind. side of Big Four Bridge". WLKY. June 6, 2013. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  16. ↑ Shafer, Sheldon S. (December 24, 2013). "Big Four Bridge to get computer-driven colored lights". The Courier-Journal . Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  17. ↑ Bauer, Katie (March 21, 2014). "Indiana ramp of Big Four bridge expected to open before Derby". WAVE. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  18. ↑ Shafer, Sheldon (June 25, 2015). "Major upgrades planned at Big Four Bridge". The Courier-Journal . Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  19. ↑ David Mann. "Big Four Bridge fire's cause, damage not yet determined". The Evening News May 8, 2008. Archived from the original on February 23, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  20. 1 2 Halladay, Jessie (May 7, 2008). "Boat used to battle Big Four blaze". The Courier-Journal . Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  21. ↑ Mann, David A. (May 13, 2008). "Workers will examine Big Four next month; not anticipating structural damage after fire". The Evening News . Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Crew Extinguish Big Four Blaze". WLKY May 7, 2008. Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
  23. ↑ "Big Four Bridge check a month off". The Courier-Journal . May 8, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2008.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffersonville, Indiana</span> City in Indiana, United States

Jeffersonville is a city and the county seat of Clark County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It lies directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky, along I-65. The population was 49,447 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridge to nowhere</span> Type of unfinished bridge

A bridge to nowhere is a bridge where one or both ends are broken, incomplete, or unconnected to any roads. If it is an overpass or an interchange, the term overpass to nowhere or interchange to nowhere may be used respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Footbridge</span> Bridge designed solely for pedestrians

A footbridge is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians. While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a height above the ground", a footbridge can also be a lower structure, such as a boardwalk, that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. Bridges range from stepping stones–possibly the earliest man-made structure to "bridge" water–to elaborate steel structures. Another early bridge would have been simply a fallen tree. In some cases a footbridge can be both functional and artistic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisville Waterfront Park</span>

Louisville Waterfront Park is both a non-profit organization and an 85-acre (340,000 m2) public park adjacent to the downtown area of Louisville, Kentucky and the Ohio River. Specifically, it is adjacent to Louisville's wharf and Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere, which are situated to the west of the park. Once a wasteland of scrap yards and abandoned industrial buildings, Waterfront Park is now a vibrant green space that welcomes over 2.2 million visitors each year. Located in the park is the Big Four Bridge which connects the city of Louisville with the City of Jeffersonville, Indiana. Waterfront Park is home to some of Louisville's most exciting celebrations, such as the Fourth of July at Waterfront Park, Forecastle Festival, WFPK Waterfront Wednesdays and Thunder Over Louisville. In 2013 the park won the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence a national design award that seeks to identify and honor places that address economic and social concerns in urban design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huey P. Long Bridge (Jefferson Parish)</span> Road and railroad bridge in Louisiana, U.S.

The Huey P. Long Bridge, located in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, is a cantilevered steel through-truss bridge that carries a two-track railroad line over the Mississippi River at mile 106.1, with three lanes of US 90 on each side of the central tracks. It is several kilometers upriver from the city of New Orleans. The East Bank entrance is at Elmwood, Louisiana, and the West Bank at Bridge City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherman Minton Bridge</span> Double-deck through arch bridge spanning the Ohio River at Louisville, carrying I-64

The Sherman Minton Bridge is a double-deck through arch bridge spanning the Ohio River, carrying I-64 and US 150 over the river between Kentucky and Indiana. The bridge connects the west side of Louisville, Kentucky to downtown New Albany, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge</span> Single-deck cantilever bridge that carries southbound I-65 across the Ohio River at Louisville

The John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge is a six-lane, single-deck cantilever bridge that carries southbound Interstate 65 across the Ohio River, connecting Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana. The main span is 700 feet (213 m) and the bridge has a total length of 2,498 feet (761 m). The span carries six southbound lanes. It is named after U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton–Madison Bridge</span> Continuous truss bridge that connects Milton, Kentucky and Madison, Indiana across the Ohio river

The Milton–Madison Bridge is a continuous truss bridge that connects Milton, Kentucky and Madison, Indiana. It carries approximately 10,000 cars a day. The old structure was replaced with a completely new continuous truss which was constructed on temporary piers adjacent to the operational span between 2011 and 2012 and slid into place after demolition of the old span using a construction method called "truss sliding." The new crossing opened to vehicle traffic in April 2014, and a pedestrian sidewalk opened that October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio River Bridges Project</span> Transportation project

The Ohio River Bridges Project was a transportation project in the Louisville metropolitan area involving the reconstruction of the Kennedy Interchange, the completion of two new Ohio River bridges, and the reconstruction of ramps on Interstate 65 between Muhammad Ali Boulevard and downtown Louisville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Discovery Bridge (Missouri)</span> Bridge in St. Louis County and St. Charles County in Missouri, U.S.

The Discovery Bridge is a pair of truss bridges carrying Missouri Route 370 across the Missouri River between St. Louis County and St. Charles County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. The bridge was built between 1989 and 1992. Massman Construction built the river substructure and erected the steel girders. The St Charles pier is founded on rock. Piers 2-4 are supported by 6' diameter drilled shafts. Pier 5 on the St Louis County side is founded on Hp14-117 piling. The two trusses were fabricated by Stupp Brothers and erected approximately 500' downstream on falsework and floated into their final position after their transfer to barges. The land approaches substructure and concrete girders were built by Fred Weber. The entire deck was built by Kozney Wagner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge</span> Crossing of the Ohio River between Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana

The George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, known locally as the Second Street Bridge, is a four-lane cantilevered truss bridge crossing the Ohio River between Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana, that carries US 31.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fourteenth Street Bridge (Ohio River)</span> Railroad bridge over the Ohio River between Louisville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Indiana

The Fourteenth Street Bridge, also known as the Ohio Falls Bridge, Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge, Conrail Railroad Bridge or Louisville and Indiana (L&I) Bridge, is a truss drawbridge that spans the Ohio River, between Louisville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Bridge</span> Railroad bridge over the Ohio River from Louisville, KY to New Albany, IN

The Kentucky & Indiana Bridge is one of the first multi modal bridges to cross the Ohio River. It is for both railway and common roadway purposes together. Federal, state, and local law state that railway, streetcar, wagon-way, and pedestrian modes of travel were intended by the cites of New Albany and Louisville, the states of Kentucky and Indiana, the United States Congress, and the bridge owners. The K&I Bridge connects Louisville, Kentucky, to New Albany, Indiana. Constructed from 1881 to 1885 by the Kentucky and Indiana Bridge Company, the original K&I Bridge opened in 1886. It included a single standard gauge track and two wagon ways, allowing wagons and other animal powered vehicles to cross the Ohio River by a method other than ferry for the first time. At that time, motorized vehicles were virtually nonexistent. The K&I Bridge company also owned a ferry boat operation during both the first and second bridge; eventually that operation was sold as the bridge's success largely outmoded boat usage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Jeffersonville Historic District</span> Historic district in Indiana, United States

The Old Jeffersonville Historic District is located in Jeffersonville, Indiana, United States. It marks the original boundaries of Jeffersonville, and is the heart of modern-day downtown Jeffersonville. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The area is roughly bounded by Court Avenue at the North, Graham Street on the east, the Ohio River at the south, and Interstate 65 at the west. In total, the district has 203 acres (0.8 km2), 500 buildings, 6 structures, and 11 objects. Several banks are located in the historic buildings in the district. The now defunct Steamboat Days Festival, held on the second weekend in September, used to be held on Spring Street and the waterfront. Jeffersonville's largest fire wiped out a block in the historic district on January 11, 2004, which destroyed the original Horner's Novelty store.

As with most American cities, transportation in Louisville, Kentucky, is based primarily on automobiles. However, the city traces its foundation to the era where the river was the primary means of transportation, and railroads have been an important part of local industry for over a century. In more recent times Louisville has become a national hub for air cargo, creating over 20,000 local jobs. The city has also launched several initiatives to promote both utilitarian and recreational bicycling. In 2016 Walk Score ranked Louisville 43rd "most walkable" of 141 U.S. cities with a population greater than 200,000. In 2015, 11.7 percent of Louisville households were without a car, which decreased to 10.9 percent in 2016. The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. Louisville averaged 1.61 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8 per household.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cityscape of Louisville, Kentucky</span>

Louisville, Kentucky is home to numerous structures that are noteworthy due to their architectural characteristics or historic associations, the most noteworthy being the Old Louisville neighborhood, the third largest historic preservation district in the United States. The city also boasts the postmodern Humana Building and an expanding Waterfront Park which has served to remove the former industrial appearance of the riverfront.

Transportation in Kentucky includes roads, airports, waterways and rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abraham Lincoln Bridge</span> Cable-stayed bridge carrying northbound I-65 across the Ohio River at Louisville

The Abraham Lincoln Bridge is a six-lane, single-deck cable-stayed bridge carrying northbound Interstate 65 across the Ohio River, connecting Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana. The main span is 700 feet (213 m) and the bridge has a total length of 2,100 feet (640 m). It is named after U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who was born in Kentucky and grew up in Southern Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis and Clark Bridge (Ohio River)</span> Crossing of the Ohio River northeast of downtown Louisville, KY

The Lewis and Clark Bridge is a bridge that crosses the Ohio River northeast of downtown Louisville, Kentucky and is part of a ring road around the Louisville metropolitan area, connecting two previously disjointed segments of Interstate 265. It was known as the East End Bridge for 30 years since its conception and while under construction, and renamed by Indiana officials on the day of its opening, December 18, 2016. The bridge provides for walking and bicycling. For motor vehicles, tolling began on December 30, 2016.

The Fink truss is a commonly used truss in residential homes and bridge architecture. It originated as a bridge truss although its current use in bridges is rare.

References

Engineering journal articles

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.