The "Purple People Bridge" stretches 2,670 feet over the Ohio River, connecting Newport, Kentucky to downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. It is one the nine bridges crossing the Ohio River at Cincinnati, it is the only one that is purple and in addition to being the only one designated for people only.
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 present bridge opened in 1896 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.
The bridge provides convenient access to Newport Kentucky, as well as Downtown Cincinnati.In late 2001, the city of Newport, Kentucky, and Southbank Partners, an economic development group, 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 coined the "Purple People Bridge" by area residents.
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 and New Zealand. Citing lack of funds and low attendance, the Purple People Bridge Climb closed on May 23, 2007.
The bridge remains open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
LOCKS OF LOVE
From Paris to the Queen City: Love locks us together
Other Local Parks and Sights:
AFK to Fountain Sq.
AFK to Sawyer Point and Yeatmans Cove
AFK to Smale Riverfront Park
AFK to International Friendship Park
AFK to Eden Park
AFK to Krohn Conservatory
AFK to World Peace Bell
AFK to Devou Park
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