The Purple People Bridge stretches 2,670 feet over 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 ...

, connecting Newport, Kentucky to downtown Cincinnati, Ohio.

History

The original bridge first opened on April 1, 1872, under the name Newport and Cincinnati Bridge, and was Cincinnati's first railroad bridge spanning the Ohio River. The bridge piers were built with stone from Adams County, Ohio. The present bridge, which was built on the original piers (which were widened during that work), opened in 1897 to streetcar, pedestrian and automobile traffic. In 1904, the bridge was renamed the L&N (Louisville and Nashville) Railroad Bridge, and this name remained until the bridge was rehabilitated and re-opened as a pedestrian-only bridge in May 2003. The bridge was closed to railroad traffic in 1987, and later closed to automobile traffic in October 2001 after years of neglect and deterioration. On April 17, 2001, the L&N Railroad Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In late 2001, the city of Newport, Kentucky, and Southbank Partners, a regional economic development organization, used $4 million in state funds to restore the bridge. When it was time to decide on what color to paint it, a variety of options were explored. Computer-generated images of the bridge were shown to participants in more than a dozen focus groups, all of whom picked the color purple as a top choice. It was soon nicknamed the "Purple People Bridge" by area residents. The bridge provides convenient access to the "

Newport on the Levee Newport on the Levee is a dining and attraction destination located on Third Street in Newport, Kentucky. It is located adjacent to the Purple People Bridge along the Ohio River and boasts views of downtown Cincinnati and the Ohio River. The Lev ...

" development in Newport, Kentucky, as well as Downtown Cincinnati. In 2006, it became possible for the public to cross the bridge via its superstructure wearing appropriate safety gear. There are similar bridge climb experiences in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and New Zealand. Citing lack of funds and low attendance, the Purple People Bridge Climb closed on May 23, 2007. In 2022, the Newport Southbank Bridge was officially renamed the "Purple People Bridge". The bridge is owned and managed by the private-nonprofit, Purple People Bridge Company, which maintains public access to pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Gallery

Newport Southbank Bridge deck 2017.jpg, Deck of the bridge Purple People Bridge 2022c.jpg, Underside viewed from the river Purplepeoplebridge.jpg, The bridge as viewed from the Carew Tower observation deck File:Newport - KY-6324.jpg File:Newport - KY-6323.jpg

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links