The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge (formerly the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge) is a suspension bridge that spans the Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky. When opened to traffic on January 1, 1867, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world at main span, In July 1858, operations resumed again, albeit with a smaller workforce. Only one tower was worked on at a time. President Ramson of the company died, and no work was done during the years 1859–60.

In November 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States, and the Civil War began in January 1861. Upon a threatened siege of Cincinnati from Confederate forces, a pontoon bridge was built to span the Ohio River, allowing Union troops to cross and construct defenses. Soon after, once it had become obvious that a permanent structure was vital, money from investors came pouring in. Bonds were sold, and in January 1863 materials began arriving. In the interest of building more quickly, the requirement for the height of the main span was lowered to . Preparations to resume construction were made. Machinery was ordered, and new derricks were built, but a renewed threat of invasion again temporarily halted progress. Finally, in the spring of 1863, work commenced and continued until the end of the year.

thumb|The tower of the bridge features two golden plated [[Christian cross variants|Greek Cross finials. The U.S. and Ohio flags are displayed in the center.]]

In the spring of 1864, work resumed again. Although Roebling operated his own wire mill at Trenton, New Jersey, the bridge company purchased one million pounds of wire from Richard Johnson at Manchester, England, for the cables that would span the width of the river. Roebling had used Johnson's wire for one of his other bridges. He preferred it over wire made in the United States because it was of better quality and greater tensile strength. Anchorages on both shores were constructed of limestone base and a freestone finish. Eleven-ton iron anchors were embedded in each block, securing cables with wrought iron chain links of Roebling's patent. The Civil War depleted the work force on the project, hindering speed and efficiency until its end.

Work on the bridge proceeded steadily after the end of the war. In September 1865 the first two wire ropes were laid. They were unwound from a spool on a barge, allowed to sink to the bottom of the river, then raised in unison from the riverbed. Wooden crossbeams were laid at regular intervals from the wire ropes, and a simple footbridge was constructed for the benefit of the workers. With the Ohio River "spanned," there was a final push to complete the project even through floods and freezing temperatures. The cabling of the bridge went at a feverish pace, with about eighty wires placed per day. Hundreds watched the spider-like process from both shores. And on June 23, 1866, the last wire was taken across, for a total of 10,360 wires. These were subsequently compressed together and wrapped with an outer covering of wire into two cables of 5,180 wires each. Suspenders were hung from the cables by the end of August, and of oak lumber was laid as the deck across 300 wrought iron suspended beams. Two tracks for streetcars were laid. Diagonal stays were added to increase load capacity, strengthen the floor, and check vibration. Wrought iron trusses were added, running the length of the bridge.

On December 1, 1866, pedestrians walked upon the bridge, known locally only as "The Suspension Bridge," for the first time. Over 166,000 people walked across in the first two days. Final touches were put on the bridge over the next few months, and construction officially ended in July 1867. Two men died during construction. When the Roebling Bridge was formally opened on January 1, 1867, the driver of a horse and buggy was charged a toll of 15 cents to cross; the toll for three horses and a carriage was 25 cents. Pedestrians were charged one cent.

The bridge was repainted blue in 1894.

thumb|The Roebling Suspension Bridge at nightthumb|Aerial view of the bridge in 2009

The original deck of the bridge was built at the lowest possible cost because of Civil War inflation, but the stone towers had been designed to carry a much heavier load than was originally demanded. In 1896, the bridge received a second set of main cables, a wider steel deck, and a longer northern approach. The reconstruction significantly altered the appearance of the bridge, but the new 30-ton weight limit extended its usefulness through the 20th century and beyond.

In 1901, electric lighting was added to the bridge.

In 1918, an extension of the approach was completed to Third Street.

thumb|The bridge from the river in 2022

At the time the Suspension Bridge was built, the Ohio River was very shallow, often only a few feet deep. A 100-foot vertical clearance was important as steamboats had high stacks to keep sparks as far as possible from the rest of the wooden craft. As more railroads were built and barges replaced steamboat traffic, dams to raise the river and control flooding made sense. In the early 1900s Congress authorized a system of locks and dams along the Ohio River. In 1929, the canalization project produced 51 wooden wicket dams and lock chambers along its length. This system assured that the depth of river at Cincinnati never fell below 9 feet. During the 1940s, a shift from steam propelled to diesel powered towboats allowed for longer barges than could be accommodated by the existing dams. In the 1950s the US Army Corps of Engineers replaced the outdated system with new non-navigable dams made of concrete and steel. These dams raised the height of the river at Cincinnati to a normal pool of about 26 feet, lowering the clearance of the Roebling Suspension Bridge to around 74 feet.

The Covington-Cincinnati Bridge Company—a private company—operated the bridge until the Commonwealth of Kentucky purchased it in 1953 for $4.2 million. Soon after this, the bridge was redecked to have a steel deck instead of the previous wooden one.

When streetcar service ceased in the 1950s, the ramps onto the Dixie terminal were rebuilt to be used by diesel buses.

The state collected tolls until 1963 when the Brent Spence Bridge was opened on Interstate 75, downstream, approximately to the west of The Roebling Suspension Bridge.

In the fall of 1966, the bridges 100th anniversary was celebrated with a parade at Court Street.

Initially called the "Covington-Cincinnati Suspension Bridge" or "Ohio River Bridge", it was renamed in honor of its designer and builder on June 27, 1983. It was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark the same year.

In 1984, at the cost of $200,000, the bridge had lighting installed on its cables. They also later restored its sprails at the cost of 10 million. It reopened in late March. However, it closed again for much of 2008 for repainting.

On September 11, 2007, the Commonwealth of Kentucky reduced the weight limit to 11 tons to prevent future structural damage following an analysis by the University of Kentucky. The lower weight limit prevents buses from crossing the bridge.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky once again closed the bridge on April 7, 2010, for repainting; the bridge reopened in November 2010. The closing of the bridge only affected vehicular traffic, while one pedestrian lane remained open.

On January 10, 2013, a large piece of sandstone fell from the north tower causing the bridge to be closed for approximately 4 hours during rush hour. This time was used to remove debris and inspect the tower for further damage.

On March 21, 2018, the bridge was closed until April 27 after an automobile accident damaged a steel section of the bridge. On April 17, 2019, another piece of sandstone fell, prompting closure until August 9.

On November 11, 2020, the nearby Brent Spence Bridge was closed following a fiery collision. Semitrucks began using the Roebling Bridge as an alternate crossing point, in violation of the bridge's 11-ton weight limit, prompting Covington police to close the suspension bridge to all vehicular traffic so additional safeguards could be put in place. The Roebling Bridge reopened on November 13, 2020, with Covington and Cincinnati police monitoring traffic on the bridge.

On February 15, 2021, the bridge closed for a nine-month rehabilitation project; it reopened in November 2021.

See also

  • List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Kentucky
  • List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Ohio
  • List of crossings of the Ohio River
  • List of historic civil engineering landmarks
  • List of largest suspension bridges
  • List of National Historic Landmarks in Kentucky
  • List of National Historic Landmarks in Ohio

Notes

References

  • John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels
  • John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge at RootsWeb
  • Roebling Suspension Bridge photographs by Cincinnati Images
  • Roebling Suspension Bridge at Cincinnati Transit
  • Roebling Suspension Bridge at Historic Bridges of Michigan and Elsewhere
  • Discover Northern Kentucky: Roebling Bridge