Progressively proximate peeps of the now-former bridge, still hanging on in 2013. The first photo is up on the hillside by the old Highway 75 tunnel on OH 93, and the second comes down old 75 on Park Ave.
Looking west (Kentucky) and east (Ohio) underneath the Ohio approach.
This is the closest pedestrians can get to crossing the bridge, as I cram my camera against the fence. There is a 3' wide (if I'm being generous) "safety walk" (also generous) along the WB side that was once open to people crossing the river. Combine that with lane widths barely over 10 feet wide, and it's no wonder the pedestrian access was closed. Trouble is, that left people with no way to get across under their own power. At least the new bridge appears to allow people to walk in the shoulders it now has.
The Campbell Ave. NB approach to the bridge "yielded" this klodged sign find. Adams St. was the main corridor for bridge traffic coming from US 52 or downtown, and so the side street had the right of way.
The sharp corner on the approach is a relic of the bridge's 1922 construction that counted against the possibility of preserving the structure beyond its eventual 94 years, which is at least a ripe old age for a bridge. The other issue with the old bridge was brittle steel that forced closures during extreme cold weather.
Take a drive across the bridge into Kentucky. The last photo attempts to look south along the Ohio River.
Now click the video to drive back east into Ohio.
From here, turn south and see the state of construction of the new bridge. Not a lot has been done since it's more than 3 years away from opening. For example, the bridge now begins at the Mustang in the first photo, 2nd St. EB at Jefferson St. Jefferson St. is being widened and Dollar General parking is being redone (2nd photo) to connect traffic from the new bridge to 3rd St., much as Adams St. did for the old bridge.
The block of Jefferson St. south of 2nd St. is also being redone, but it's unclear why. There were no other improvements to Campbell St. so this ties into nothing useful.
The future bridge abutment (I-beams) is just shy of Monroe St., which was closed for construction but is now reopened under the new bridge approach (piers). 2nd St. will eventually need to close to make way for the bridge tie-in.
Driving through the piers onto Campbell St. NB, then looking south as construction progresses toward the river.
Cranes getting busy by the riverside, then the west side of the bridge abutment at Monroe St.
Closing with shots of the old bridge from Campbell St. The yield sign comes next, and you can loop through this page to your heart's content.
