The Daniel Carter Beard Bridge (also known colloquially as the Big Mac Bridge), is a yellow twin span steel bowstring arch bridge crossing 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 ...

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. It carries Interstate 471 between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Newport, Kentucky. The nickname comes from the yellow arches being similar to the "

Golden Arches The Golden Arches are the symbol of McDonald's, the global fast-food restaurant chain. Originally, real arches were part of the restaurant design. They were incorporated into the chain's logo in 1962, which resembled a stylized restaurant, and i ...

" logo of

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

restaurant. The nickname was coined by local residents after the bridge's golden arches were constructed. In the 1980s, McDonald's considered opening a floating restaurant at the base after the nickname caught on, but never went to construction. This bridge has a main span of and has a total span of . It is named in honor of Daniel Carter Beard, the founder of the Sons of Daniel Boone and one of the founders of the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

. The bridge was originally configured with three lanes and an emergency shoulder on each span. In December 2000, with the completion of a reconstruction project on the 3rd Street Viaduct approach, the bridge was reconfigured to four lanes on each span. The bridge was originally designed by Hazelet + Erdal, now URS Corporation. In the early morning hours of November 1, 2024, a fire beneath the bridge in Sawyer Point Park spread to the park's playground, engulfing the bridge in flames and causing structural damage. The southbound lanes were closed due to the need for extensive repairs. On December 10, 2024, four people were arrested for causing the fire. The repairs included the replacement of seven steel girders. The bridge was expected to fully reopen in March 2025. The bridge reopened ahead of schedule on February 9, 2025.

References

External links

Daniel Carter Beard Bridge
at Bridges & Tunnels

at Cincinnati Transit * {{Crossings navbox , structure = Bridges , place =

, bridge = Daniel Carter Beard Bridge , bridge signs = I-471

, upstream = Combs-Hehl Bridge , upstream signs = I-275

, downstream = Newport Southbank Bridge , downstream signs = Pedestrian

Beard A beard is the hair that grows on the jaw, chin, upper lip, lower lip, cheeks, and neck of humans and some non-human animals. In humans, beards are most commonly seen on pubescent or adult males, though women have been observed with beards ...

Bridges completed in 1976 Newport, Kentucky Bridges over the Ohio River Tied arch bridges in the United States Road bridges in Kentucky Road bridges in Ohio Buildings and structures in Campbell County, Kentucky Interstate 71 1976 establishments in Kentucky Bridges on the Interstate Highway System 1976 establishments in Ohio Steel bridges in the United States Transportation in Campbell County, Kentucky

See also

References

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