Big Four Bridge

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Big Four Bridge
The Big Four Bridge as seen from Indiana under the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge
Crosses	Ohio River
Locale	Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana
Longest span	547 feet
Total length	2,545 feet
Vertical clearance	53 feet
Opening date	1895

The Big Four Bridge is an abandoned railroad bridge that crosses the Ohio River, connecting Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana. It has a main span of 547 feet.

The Louisville and Jeffersonville Bridge Company was formed in 1887 to construct the bridge. Construction began in 1888 and after the loss of 37 lives building it the bridge opened in 1895. The company was financially strapped after building the bridge, and soon sold it to the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad.

Due to the increasing weight of the rail traffic, contracts were finalized in June 1928 to build a bigger bridge, which opened on June 25, 1929. The new bridge was built on the piers of the old bridge. During construction, the bridge's usual rail traffic was routed over the Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Bridge.

The bridge fell into disuse after the Big Four Railroad's parent company, New York Central Railroad, was merged into Penn Central in 1968. The bridge's former traffic was then routed over Louisville's Fourteenth Street Bridge. By 1969 both approach spans had been removed and sold for scrap.

During the 1970s and 1980s, local radio station WLRS-102 FM would light up the bridge as part of their "Bridge the Gap" Christmas promotion, which was used as a fundraiser for needy local families.

After unsuccessful litigation to stop the project, the Big Four Bridge is (2006) in the process of being converted into a pedestrian bridge as part of Louisville Waterfront Park and the ongoing revitalization of the Louisville riverfront.

[edit] References

• John E. Kleber, ed., The Encyclopedia of Louisville
• David Plowden, Bridges: The Spans of North America (New York 1974)
• J. H. Hunley, "Bridge of Unusual Design Replaces Crossing of Big Four at Louisville", Engineering News-Record, Sept. 5, 1929

[edit] See also

• List of crossings of the Ohio River
• List of rail trails

Bridges of the Ohio River
Upstream East End Bridge Future	Big Four Bridge	Downstream John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge