Purple People Bridge

Newport Southbank Bridge
Newport Southbank Bridge
	The bridge viewed from the river in 2022
Coordinates	39°05′53″N 84°29′52″W / 39.098019°N 84.497747°W
Carries	pedestrians
Crosses	Ohio River
Locale	Newport, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio
Other name(s)	Purple People Bridge
Characteristics
Design	Truss bridge
Total length	2,670 feet (810 m)
	Newport and Cincinnati Bridge
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Spans Ohio River, Cincinnati, Ohio
Built	1868–1872
Architect	Becker, M.J.; et al.
Architectural style	Subdivided Pratt truss
NRHP reference No.	01000364
Added to NRHP	April 17, 2001
History
Opened	April 1, 1872; (extensively rebuilt from 1896-1897);
Location

The Purple People Bridge is a pedestrian-only bridge that stretches 2,670 feet over the Ohio River, connecting Newport, Kentucky to downtown Cincinnati, Ohio.

Purple-clad people crossing the Newport Southbank Bridge

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.^[2] The bridge piers were built with stone from Adams County, Ohio.^[3]

In 1896, a major reconstruction for the bridge was started. It involved constructing two new streetcar and carriage decks, as well as adding a rebuilding the existing truss into a Pennsylvania prat truss. This was completed in 1897, and done to modernize the bridge, despite only being 25 years old, it had already been rendered obsolete with the increased weight of trains.^[4]^[5]

In 1904, the bridge was renamed the L&N (Louisville and Nashville) Railroad Bridge. At this point the bridge's deck was paved with asphalt to allow for improved usage.^[4]

After the opening of the Dixie Terminal's lower level on November 27, 1921, the CN&C's streetcar tracks were reconfigured to cross the Central bridge, and the L&N Railroad Bridge was restricted to emergency use only.^[4]

In 1928, the Kentucky Highway Department made plans to purchase the vehicular and streetcar sections of the Bridge. This transaction was met with resistance from the L&N Railroad since the tolls started to become profitable with an increase in automobile traffic, though on November 15, 1935, these parts of the bridge were sold off.^[4]

On November 11, 1941, at 2 p.m, tolls were abolished from the crossing after the bonds had been paid off. An hour later, a dedication of the now free bridge was held.^[4]

On July 3, 1950, the bridges streetcar tracks was closed. The cantilevered span was dismantled, and the truss span was replaced by a pedestrian walkway.^[4]

In 1956, a loop ramp from 2nd Street was opened to traffic. Also around this time, the railroad tracks were converted to go in one direction at peak travel times in the mornings and evenings.^[4]

In 1971, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL) purchased the remainder of the L&N shares it did not already own, and the L&N became a subsidiary.^[4]

In 1980 the vehicular/pedestrian side was repainted and redecked.^[4]

SCL absorbed the L&N entirely in 1982 with the newly merged company known as Family Lines.^[4]

At the end of June 1984, the bridge's tracks were abandoned. In 1986, the SCL formally merged with the Chessie System, which became CSX Transportation (CSX). At this point, work began on demolishing the north approach and removing the train deck, this was all competed in 1987.^[4]

In 2000, the Newport approach was partially demolished with the opening of a new parking garage next to it.^[6]

In October 2001, the vehicular lanes were permanently closed, this was after over a decade of urban decay. At this point, the city of Newport, Kentucky, and Southbank Partners, a regional economic development organization, 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 nicknamed the "Purple People Bridge" by area residents. This project was competed in May 2003. Since this rehab the bridge has been maintained by The Purple People Bridge Company, which maintains public access for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

In 2006, it became possible for the public to cross the bridge via its superstructure, though only while 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 was discontinued on May 23, 2007.^[7]

In 2022, the Newport Southbank Bridge was officially renamed the "Purple People Bridge", at which point parts of the truss was also repainted purple.

In 2024, the bridge was closed after parts of its pier fell off. Nobody was killed or injured in the accident.^[8]