The Cairo Ohio River Bridge is a
cantilever bridge
A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end (called cantilevers). For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beam (structure), beams; however, large cantilever ...
carrying
U.S. Route 51
U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south-north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered Highw ...
,
U.S. Route 60, and
U.S. Route 62
U.S. Route 62 or U.S. Highway 62 (US 62) runs from the Mexican border at El Paso, Texas, to Niagara Falls, New York, near the Canadian border. It is the only east-west United States Numbered Highway that connects Mexico and Can ...
across the
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
between
Wickliffe, Kentucky
Wickliffe is a home rule-class city in Ballard County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 688 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ballard County.
Wickliffe is part of the Paducah, KY- IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Hist ...
and
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo ( ) is the southernmost city in Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County.
The city is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Fort Defiance, a Civil War camp, was built here in 1862 by Union General Ulysses ...
. Of all the Ohio River crossings, it is the furthest downstream; the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
can be seen while crossing the bridge and looking westward.
This is an authorized truck route.
History
Construction was awarded to Modjeski and Masters and the Mt. Vernon Bridge Co.
It was finished on November 11, 1938, and tolls were removed ten years later.
The Cairo Ohio River Bridge was rehabilitated in 1979 and is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
See also
*
List of crossings of the Ohio River
This is a complete list of current bridges and other crossings of the Ohio River from the mouth at the Mississippi River at Cairo, Illinois to the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Illinois–Kentu ...
External links
Cairo Ohio River Bridge (US 51, US 60, US 62)at Bridges & Tunnels
CairoOhioRiverBridgeEastEnd.jpg, Steel framing
P6190068(Cairo-IL_Ohio_R_Bridge).JPG, Eastern spans
References
Road bridges in Illinois
Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System
Bridges over the Ohio River
U.S. Route 51
U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 62
Buildings and structures in Ballard County, Kentucky
Cairo, Illinois
Bridges completed in 1938
Bridges in Alexander County, Illinois
Road bridges in Kentucky
Great River Road
Steel bridges in the United States
Cantilever bridges in the United States
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