George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge

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George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge
Clarkmemorial.jpg
The George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge as seen from Louisville Waterfront Park
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Carries 4 lanes of US 31
Crosses Ohio River
Locale Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana
Maintained by KYTC
Characteristics
Design Cantilever bridge
Total length 5,746.5 ft (1,751.5 m)
Width 38.0 ft (11.6 m)
Longest span 819.6 ft (249.8 m)
History
Opened 1929
Louisville Municipal Bridge, Pylons and Administration Building
File:Clark memorial bridge marker 2.jpg
Dedication plaque on the bridge
Location Spans Ohio River between Louisville, KY and Jeffersonville, IN, Louisville, Kentucky
Area 5 acres (2.0 ha)
Built 1928 (1928)
Architectural style Art Deco, Warren through truss
NRHP Reference # 84001578[1]
Added to NRHP March 8, 1984
The Clark Memorial Bridge during Thunder Over Louisville

The George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge is a four-lane cantilevered truss bridge crossing the Ohio River between Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana, that carries US 31. It is known locally as the Second Street Bridge.

History

It was designed by Ralph Modjeski and Frank Masters with architectural details handled by Paul Philippe Cret of Philadelphia, and construction began in June 1928 by the American Bridge Company of Pittsburgh at a cost of $4.7 million. President Herbert Hoover dedicated the bridge.[2] It was opened to the public on October 31, 1929 as the Louisville Municipal Bridge and operated as a toll bridge. The toll was 35 cents until December 31, 1936, when it became a quarter. The last of the bonds that financed the construction were redeemed in 1946, and the tolls were removed.[3]

In 1949, the bridge was renamed in honor of George Rogers Clark, recognized as the founder of Louisville.[4]

The bridge was rehabilitated in 1958.

There was a movement in the 1950s to restore tolls, as traffic on the bridge had reached capacity and funding was needed for an additional bridge, but a toll was opposed strongly by most residents. Ultimately most of the funds for two additional bridges (for motor vehicles only) that carry interstate highways came from the federal government.

It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 8, 1984, as the Louisville Municipal Bridge, Pylons and Administration Building.[1]

In June 2010, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson announced a new $3 million streetscape improvement project directly underneath the Clark Memorial Bridge, a three-block area from Main Street to River Road, which will be transformed into a plaza. This includes a new decorative lighting system under the refurbished Clark Memorial Bridge, wide sidewalks, seats, new pedestrian and festival areas, and extensive plantings, making this an inviting promenade for the new KFC Yum! Center. The project was completed in time for the October 2010 opening of the arena.[5]

Culture

Locally, the Clark Bridge is also known as the Second Street Bridge, as Louisville's Second Street leads directly to the bridge. This has never been a formal name, however. There is a pedestrian sidewalk on each side of the bridge deck. The Clark Bridge was previously the only regional Ohio River bridge open to non-motorized traffic, until the opening of the Indiana side of the nearby Big Four Bridge to pedestrian and bicycle traffic in May 2014.[6][7][8]

Since 1991, the bridge has been used as "ground zero" for the annual Thunder Over Louisville event, when a waterfall of fireworks flows along the entire length of the bridge during the fireworks show. This involves traffic being closed for much of the week. This is criticized as it cuts off both the only non-interstate and, prior to the Big Four Bridge reopening, the only pedestrian route between Louisville and southern Indiana, which can impact local businesses such as bicycle couriers.

The bridge is featured in a scene from the 1981 movie Stripes in which Bill Murray drives his cab to the middle of the span, gets out of the vehicle and then tosses his keys into the river below.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Note: This includes Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. and Accompanying photographs.
  4. ↑ Luhan, p. 105
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
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External links

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