The Newport & Cincinnati Bridge

The First Railroad Bridge Over The Ohio Continues With A New Purpose

On a cool, late winter day in March of 1872, five locomotives slowly crept over the new Newport and Cincinnati Bridge, running a test to determine if the bridge was strong enough to hold the weight of the mighty engines. It was the first time vehicles of that mass and weight traveled over a bridge spanning the Ohio River. The locomotives began their historic journey at the Little Miami Depot, with the first engine, the Ben Franklin, being followed by the J. Hicks, the Hercules, the Miami, and the William Penn. Spectators and officials alike were rightfully nervous, but the engines all made it across with no issues and thus the new bridge was deemed a success. It officially opened on April 1, 1872, only six short years after the Roebling Bridge just to the west.

The history of why this bridge was built is a case study in shrewd political maneuvering and one-upping a rival. For nearly 200 years, Covington and her neighbor across the Licking River, Newport, had squabbled over bridges, tolls, business deals, roads, and pretty much anything that neighboring cities could squabble over. And the Newport to Cincinnati Bridge was perhaps the fiercest battle to date. In short , when the Cincinnati & Lexington Railroad was built and run through Covington in 1869, there was not yet a bridge to connect into Cincinnati.  Covington officials did not want the city to lose its status as the line's terminus, so no bridge was built. Newport, seeing an opportunity, granted right-of-way for the Louisville, Cincinnati, & Lexington Railroad to run from Latonia north on Saratoga St. to the riverbank. The new Newport and Cincinnati Bridge connected this line with the Little Miami Railroad, the original owners of the bridge.

Original bridge design. Pre-1897 remodel

The original Newport and Cincinnati Bridge (Provided)

In the 1897, the bridge was renovated with new Pennsylvania Pratt trusses, which are what we still see today. The deck was also widened and the railroad track trusses were rebuilt. The pedestrian and carriage path was redone and two street car tracks were built. Of all the new changes, the street car tracks give the bridge a unique look. The eastern most track was between the railroad track/carriage(automobile) lanes. The western most track street car track ran outside of the trusses. 

Original bridge with tracks (Provided)

Newport and Cincinnati Bridge as seen in the 1880s. (Provided)

In 1904, the bridge was renamed the L&N Bridge and the carriage path was paved for cars.

L&N Bridge. 1918. (Provided)

After 1897 construction. Notice street car. (Provided)

By the 1940s, street car service halted and the west track was taken off the bridge. The east track became a pedestrian walkway. 

A 1984 photo shows the tracks continued from bridge through middle of Saratoga St. in Newport. (Provided)

In 1987, the rail service was ceased and the viaduct on the Cincinnati side was dismantled. It continued to serve as a car/pedestrian bridge into the 1990s. In 2003, a $4 million renovation reopened the structure as a pedestrian-only bridge that May, becoming what we know now as the Purple People Bridge.