Newport Southbank Bridge

​The Newport & Cincinnati Railroad Bridge opened on April 1, 1872, and was Cincinnati's first railroad bridge spanning the Ohio River. The bridge carried one railroad track with two roadways cantilevered outside the trusses. The bridge was built from a wide area of structural elements, including the following a timber trestle, eight Whipple through trusses, six deck trusses, two pony trusses and fifteen brick arch spans.

The bridge quickly became obsolete due to the increasing weight and frequency of trains, and a reconstruction of the bridge was completed from 1896 to 1897. The new bridge carried one railroad track, two streetcar tracks, a pedestrian sidewalk, and a roadway for carriages. The reconstruction involved widening some piers and removing others. The superstructure was replaced with a Pennsylvania through truss for the main span, along with four Parker through trusses, two Pratt deck trusses, ten brick arch spans, and plate girder spans on the approaches.

The bridge was renamed the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Bridge in 1904 when it was acquired by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. At this time, the carriage path was paved to accommodate automobile traffic.

In 1921, the streetcar tracks were reconfigured to cross the nearby Central Bridge, although this bridge was still used for emergencies. In 1928, the Kentucky Highway Department sought to acquire the bridge’s vehicular and pedestrian portions, although the railroad opposed this. An agreement was ultimately reached on November 15, 1935, and the state took control of the vehicular and pedestrian portions.

Streetcar service ended in Kentucky by 1950, and the center streetcar track on the bridge was converted into a pedestrian walkway.

Throughout the 1970’s and early 1980’s, the railroads were consolidated. The railroad service on this bridge was discontinued at the end of June 1984, when the trains were shifted to the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Bridge. The tracks and rail deck were demolished in 1987, along with the north approach viaduct. The bridge remained open for vehicular traffic, but it was not well maintained. The bridge deteriorated and was closed to automobile traffic in October  2001.

In early 2002 the Kentucky Legislature agreed to restore and paint the bridge. CSX, who owned the railroad portion of the bridge, donated it, and the City of Newport took control of the bridge. It was restored and converted into a pedestrian bridge. After a vote from the local residents, the bridge was painted purple and was quickly nicknamed the Purple People Bridge. It was reopened in 2003.

A bridge walk experience was briefly offered from 2006 to 2007, where people could cross the bridge by climbing the trusses. However, this was discontinued due to lack of funds and low attendance.