The Brent Spence Bridge carries Interstates 71 and 75 across the Ohio River, connecting Covington, Kentucky to Cincinnati, Ohio. First envisioned in the 1950s as a modern river crossing connecting Cincinnati to Kentucky. In April 1956, a site in West Covington near the mouth of Willow Creek was chosen for a bridge site, after Covington, Cincinnati and state highway officials came to an agreement on the location. Another alignment was proposed but dismissed parallel to the Cincinnati Southern Railroad Bridge in Ludlow.


The Brent Spence Bridge Kentucky approach soon after the highway opened. Note the missing Interstate 71 shield; Interstate 71 would not be completed in Kentucky until 1970.


The original median along Interstate 75 was curbed with a graveled centerline.

The proposed bridge would have a minimum of six-lanes, three in each direction, and would either be a suspension bridge or cantilever, and either a single or duel layer. A duel layer cantilever bridge was later chosen, and design work was completed in 1959. Actual construction of the bridge began in January 1961, opening to traffic on November 25, 1963.

In 1970, Interstate 71 was completed between Louisville and Interstate 75, and the highway was co-signed along with Interstate 75 over the Ohio River. Tremendous suburban residential growth to the south and north of Cincinnati, coupled with multitudes of commercial and industrial development put an intense strain on the Brent Spence Bridge. In 1986, the bridge approaches were widened to three-lanes and the shoulder on the bridge was eliminated to provide four through-lanes to alleviate severe congestion leading up and on the span as part of the "Death Hill" reconstruction project.


A guardrail was soon added to the unprotected median.


By 1978, the curbed median had been replaced with a jersey barrier.


The Brent Spence Bridge approach being widened in Kentucky.

In 1995, a report by American Consulting Engineers of Lexington, Kentucky concluded that the Brent Spence Bridge would need to be replaced by 2007. The report stated that the bridge was carrying heavier trucks than those that existed when the span opened 32-years prior, and that it the span was fast approaching the maximum 160,000 vehicles per day that it could handle without total gridlock.

Planners with the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments also concluded in 1999 that the span would last another 15 to 20 years based on the combination of heavy trucks and automobile traffic. Another contractor, Burgess & Niple, Limited, however, refuted that the bridge was not suffering from any ill effects.

The U.S. Department of Transportation released data that reported the Brent Spence Bridge crash rate between 1995 and 2003 was one of the highest of the nation's "functionally deficient" bridges.


The Ohio River crossing being constructed in the 1960s.


A view of the bridge today.



Please read the Brent Spence Bridge article for more historical information and photographs.

With spring approaching, I thought it'd be best to upload some recent captures of various bridges along the Ohio River and Big Sandy River, from the Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati, to two aging but massive railroad spans. Enjoy these updates to Bridges & Tunnels for late March!


1 Midland Atlantic Bridge: The old bridge abutment is in the foreground, with the newer Midland Atlantic Bridge in the background.


2 Norfolk & Western Ohio River Bridge: This dual tracked span crosses the Ohio River at Kenova, West Virginia and South Point, Ohio. It sees a considerable amount of traffic on today's Norfolk Southern lines.


3 A CSX #515 waits on a CSX mainline through Kenova, West Virginia underneath the Norfolk & Western Ohio River Bridge approach.


4 Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Catlettsburg Bridge: This dual-track Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Bridge over the Big Sandy River connects Catlettsburg, Kentucky to Kenova, West Virginia. A CSX #515 waits.


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6 Brent Spence Bridge: A view of the Brent Spence Bridge Kentucky approach.


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Enjoy this small update to Bridges & Tunnels!

The Valley View Ferry carries Kentucky State Route 169 between Fayette and Madison Counties in Kentucky.

The ferry was established in 1785, predating Kentucky's admission to the Union in 1792. John Craig, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, acquired land in the area in 1780 through a military warrant. Five years later, the Virginia General Assembly granted Craig a franchise to operate a ferry at Valley View, where it was a privately-owned business for over 200 years. It passed through seven generations of families until 1991, when the ferry was purchased jointly by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, and Madison and Jessamine Counties for $60,000.



In 1996, the weight of heavy snow sank the ferry boat. It was replaced soon after by the "John Craig," aptly named after the site's original owner. Two years later, Valley View was closed for a renovation that involved the construction of four 55-foot concrete towers that replaced the rusting steel supports of the former "Riney-B" Railroad Bridge. The span was originally constructed in 1890, although the railroad itself was abandoned in 1942.



In 2000, a new boat was purchased that allowed the ferry to transport three cars over the river instead of two.

The ferry is a free service funded by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, and transports 250 cars a day on average. It is the commonwealth's oldest remaining business.

Today marks the completion of major site updates for Bridges & Tunnels after an eight-month hiatus. What's been updated since 2008?

All of the bridge, tunnel and ferry entries have been cleaned up.

A new photograph gallery system is now up that is much easier to use and navigate.

New sorting options include the Kentucky River and New River.

Adding comments to blog entries is now easier.

Stay tuned for some bridge location updates and new photographs over the weekend!

The U.S. Route 50 Blennerhassett Bridge spanning the Ohio River opened on June 13, 2008 to much fanfare. The $120 million bridge carries four-lanes of automobile traffic across the river and an island, and was opened to foot traffic on the morning of the 13th. Dedication ceremonies were held at 1:30 P.M., with West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin and Ohio Governor Ted Strickland in attendance, along with Representative Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.) and Anne Pope, co-chairperson of the Appalachian Regional Commission. The bridge was opened to cars after the ceremony.

The 4,009-foot bridge was the costliest highway bridge ever constructed in the state, and includes a 900-foot-long tied-arch. The bridge was one of five spans from across the world to receive the prestigious Gustav Lindenthal Medal for engineering that "demonstrated technical innovation, aesthetic merit and harmony with the environment."

It's dedication marked the completion of Corridor D; the bridge has been proposed since the 1960s.