John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge

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Roebling Suspension Bridge, view of Cincinnati

The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge that spans the Ohio River between Cincinnati , Ohio and Covington , Kentucky . When the first pedestrians crossed the bridge on December 1, 1866, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world with a span of 322 meters (1057 feet). The bridge retained this title until the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883. Today, the bridge is used by numerous pedestrians who want to go from the sports stadiums in Cincinnati (for example, the Paul Brown Stadium ) to the hotels and parking lots in northern Kentucky.

Building grounds

By the mid-19th century, Cincinnati had the largest inland port in the United States , and ferry traffic had increased so much that a bridge was needed. The state of Ohio demanded that a bridge should not interfere with shipping traffic. Such a bridge has never been built before, but the Thuringian-born engineer John August Roebling (who also designed the Brooklyn Bridge in New York) created a design and was commissioned. Construction began in 1856.

The construction

The construction work dragged on over a period of ten years, interrupted by a lack of money and the American Civil War . The city was threatened with attack during the war. The bridge was not completed until after the civil war ended in December 1866. The bridge was officially opened on January 1, 1867. The toll was 15 cents for horse-drawn carts and 1 cents for pedestrians.

Changes

Bottom view of the construction

Originally, due to the lack of money during the civil war, the carriageway was built at the simplest level, but the bridge piers were designed for much higher loads. In 1896 the bridge was painted blue, it received a second set of suspension cables and a wider carriageway. It was renovated again by 2007 and its maximum permissible load was subsequently reduced, so that it can no longer be used by buses.

Others

Since May 1975, the structure under the name Covington and Cincinnati Suspension Bridge has the status of a National Historic Landmark. The bridge was added to the List of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1982.

Web links

Commons : John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Remarks

  1. ↑ Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Kentucky. National Park Service , accessed August 3, 2019.
    Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Ohio. National Park Service , accessed August 3, 2019.

Coordinates: 39 ° 5 '37 "  N , 84 ° 30' 36.1"  W.