Scenic Spans. . The Ohio River between Clark County, Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky, provides a treasure of historic bridges. The first bridge to your left is the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, completed in Art-Deco style in 1929. Its original name was the Louisville Municipal Bridge. It was designed by Paul Philippe Cret. It was the first vehicular bridge across the Ohio at Louisville. The American Bridge Company of Pittsburgh was the contractor. This was a toll bridge until 1946. The bridge was renamed in 1949 in honor of the founder of Louisville and Clarksville, George Rogers Clark. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places., To the east beyond the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, is the newer John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge, completed in 1963 at a cost of $10 million. It carries the traffic of Interstate 65. Four days after President Kennedy's assassination in 1963, Kentucky and Indiana officials named the bridge in his honor., The Big Four Bridge, further east than the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge, was built as a railroad bridge for the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Company. It took nearly seven years to construct, and two construction accidents cost several lives before the bridge was completed in 1895 at a cost of $2.5 million., The span became outdated in the 1920s, and a new span was built, using the old bridge as a scaffold. Then the original bridge was disassembled. In 1968, railroad mergers left the newer bridge unneeded, and the approaches were removed, leaving it “the bridge that goes nowhere.” Plans are underway to include it in a bi-state greenway., By the Way The Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge to the west was once the longest iron bridge in the United States., Captions (left to right) , . Image of the Big Four Bridge with a car on the tracks. New Albany Floyd County Public Library , . Image of the John F. Kennedy, George Rogers Clark and Pennsylvania Railroad bridges. New Albany Floyd County Public Library , . Image of the crew of the K&I Bridge. New Albany Floyd County Public Library
The Ohio River between Clark County, Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky, provides a treasure of historic bridges. The first bridge to your left is the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, completed in Art-Deco style in 1929. Its original name was the Louisville Municipal Bridge. It was designed by Paul Philippe Cret. It was the first vehicular bridge across the Ohio at Louisville. The American Bridge Company of Pittsburgh was the contractor. This was a toll bridge until 1946. The bridge was renamed in 1949 in honor of the founder of Louisville and Clarksville, George Rogers Clark. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
To the east beyond the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, is the newer John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge, completed in 1963 at a cost of $10 million. It carries the traffic of Interstate 65. Four days after President Kennedy's assassination in 1963, Kentucky and Indiana officials named the bridge in his honor.
The Big Four Bridge, further east than the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge, was built as a railroad bridge for the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Company. It took nearly seven years to construct, and two construction accidents cost several lives before the bridge was completed in 1895 at a cost of $2.5 million.
The span became outdated in the
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1920s, and a new span was built, using the old bridge as a scaffold. Then the original bridge was disassembled. In 1968, railroad mergers left the newer bridge unneeded, and the approaches were removed, leaving it “the bridge that goes nowhere.” Plans are underway to include it in a bi-state greenway.
By the Way The Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge to the west was once the longest iron bridge in the United States.
Captions (left to right)
• Image of the Big Four Bridge with a car on the tracks. New Albany Floyd County Public Library
• Image of the John F. Kennedy, George Rogers Clark and Pennsylvania Railroad bridges. New Albany Floyd County Public Library
• Image of the crew of the K&I Bridge. New Albany Floyd County Public Library
Erected by Ohio River Scenic Byway.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Bridges & Viaducts. A significant historical year for this entry is 1929.
Location. 38° 16.211′ N, 85° 45.299′ W. Marker is in Clarksville, Indiana, in Clark County. Marker can be reached from Ohio River Scenic Byway, 0.1 miles west of Main Street, on the left when traveling west. Marker is in Ashland Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 415 Ohio River Scenic Byway, Clarksville IN 47129, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 23, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 23, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 196 times since then and 35 times this year. Photo1. submitted on May 23, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
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