Brent Spence Bridge

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The Brent Spence Bridge is a double decker cantilever truss bridge that carries Interstates 71 and 75 between Cincinnati, Ohio and Northern Kentucky. It opened in November 1963, carrying three lanes of vehicular traffic in each direction across the Ohio River. In 1986, the emergency shoulders were eliminated, and the bridge was restriped with four lanes in each direction. Despite this attempt, the bridge is still overwhelmed with traffic, and is one of the most dangerous sections of highway in the Cincinnati area. A study is currently underway to determine a replacement for the bridge. It is uncertain at this point whether the bridge will be demolished, or if a new bridge will be built alongside it.

The bridge was named for Kentucky's longest serving congressman at the time, Brent Spence, who served in the U.S. Congress for over thirty years before retiring in 1962. The bridge, which opened a year after his retirement, was named in his honor by then Kentucky governor Bert T. Combs. Spence didn't feel that he deserved the honor, and lobbied for the Bridge to be named for President Kennedy (who had been assassinated only three days before the bridge was supposed to open). Combs, however, resisted this effort at modesty by Spence and kept the name.

[edit] Trivia

From 1967 until 1975, the approach from the Brent Spence Bridge looking toward downtown Cincinnati was featured in the opening title sequence of the long running daytime Soap Opera, The Edge of Night.