The Carl D. Perkins Bridge is a

cantilever bridge A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end (called cantilevers). For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beam (structure), beams; however, large cantilever ...

that spans the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

between Washington Township, Scioto County, Ohio and South Portsmouth,

Greenup County, Kentucky Greenup County is a county located along the Ohio River in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,962. The county was founded in 1803 and named in honor of Christopher Greenup. Its c ...

. The bridge carries the two lanes of State Route 852 and Truck Route U.S. Highway 23. The bridge connects to Kentucky Route 8.

History

In July 1978, inspections of the original U.S. Grant Bridge found serious deterioration in its suspension cables. The bridge was closed to traffic and was rehabilitated over an 18-month period. With future traffic projected to increase compounded with a decline in level of service on the original U.S. Grant Bridge, the Kentucky Department of Transportation (KYDOT) and the

Ohio Department of Transportation The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT; ) is the administrative department of the government of Ohio, Ohio state government responsible for developing and maintaining all state and U.S. roadways outside of municipalities and all List of In ...

(ODOT) agreed to begin planning for a new bridge. The 1978 Surface Transportation Assistance Act authorized the construction of a new bridge across the Ohio River in Portsmouth. In the

environmental impact statement An environmental impact statement (EIS), under United States environmental law, is a document required by the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An E ...

, it was decided the new bridge would be located downstream from the U.S. Grant Bridge. The bridge opened on January 28, 1988. It is named after the late Carl D. Perkins, Congressman from the 7th District of Kentucky. During the demolition of the original U.S. Grant Bridge and the construction of its replacement upstream, it was the only highway bridge connecting

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. The Perkins Bridge also served as a detour for U.S. Highway 23 during this time period. Carl Perkins Bridge aerial 2019

References

External links

Carl Perkins Bridge
at Bridges & Tunnels Bridges completed in 1988 Bridges over the Ohio River Bridges in Greenup County, Kentucky Transportation in Scioto County, Ohio Buildings and structures in Scioto County, Ohio Road bridges in Kentucky Road bridges in Ohio U.S. Route 23 Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Cantilever bridges in the United States {{Ohio-bridge-struct-stub

History

See also

References

External links