Brooklyn Bridge (US 68)
The Brooklyn Bridge carries U.S. Route 68 over the Kentucky River between Fayette and Mercer counties in central Kentucky. The first crossing across the river at this location, a 250-foot long iron-truss bridge, was constructed in 1871. The first highway tunnel in the state was also constructed immediately north of the river crossing.In the early-1950s, a food service delivery truck crossing the Kentucky River caused the collapse of one span on the bridge. The driver survived and successfully sued the state of Kentucky for an unsafe bridge. He won $50,000 by a central Kentucky judge, however, the Governor at that time noted that "no man was worth $50,000" and reduced his award to $10,000.
A new span bypassing the tunnel and crossing the Kentucky River on a new alignment was completed in 1954.
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