Matthew E. Welsh Bridge is a two-lane, single-pier

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 ...

Durkee, Jackson
"World's Longest Bridge Spans"
National Steel Bridge Alliance, May 24, 1999 on 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 ...

. The bridge connects Kentucky Route 313 and

Indiana State Road 135 State Road 135 (SR 135) in the U.S. state of Indiana is a road that connects Indianapolis with the Ohio River; for the most part it is a two-lane road except for near Greenwood and Indianapolis. Route description The southern terminus is ...

, as well as the communities of

Brandenburg, Kentucky Brandenburg is a home rural-class city on the Ohio River in Meade County, Kentucky, in the United States. The city is southwest of Louisville. It is the seat of its county. The population was 2,894 at the 2020 census. History Brandenburg ...

and

Mauckport, Indiana Mauckport is a town in Heth Township, Harrison County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 81 at the 2010 census. History In the earliest times Daniel Boone and his brothers, most notably Squire Boone, were regula ...

. It is long and was built at a cost of 5.5 million dollars, financed mainly by the

State of Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. The truss portion of the bridge is continuous across two spans. Construction of the bridge began in August 1964 and the bridge was opened to traffic on November 19, 1966. The bridge was named after

Matthew E. Welsh Matthew Empson Welsh (September 15, 1912 – May 28, 1995) was an American politician who was the Governor of Indiana, 41st governor of Indiana and a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, serving from 1961 to 1965. Hi ...

, the 41st governor of Indiana. Although 90% of the bridge is within the

Commonwealth of 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 ...

, it is owned and maintained by the

. Image:MatthewWelshBridge.jpg, The Matthew E. Welsh Bridge, as seen from the landing in

Image:Walsh_Bridge_1.jpg, Distance view of bridge from Indiana side Image:Walsh_Bridge_3.jpg, Different view of underside of bridge Image:Matthew E. Welsh Bridge.jpg, View of the bridge from Brandenburg on a clear day

Footnotes

, upstream signs = , downstream = Bob Cummings - Lincoln Trail Bridge , downstream signs = Buildings and structures in Harrison County, Indiana Bridges over the Ohio River Bridges completed in 1966 Buildings and structures in Meade County, Kentucky Continuous truss bridges in the United States Transportation in Harrison County, Indiana Road bridges in Indiana Road bridges in Kentucky Steel bridges in the United States Cantilever bridges in the United States Transportation in Meade County, Kentucky 1966 establishments in Kentucky 1966 establishments in Indiana Buildings and structures in Harrison County, Kentucky Brandenburg, Kentucky

Footnotes

See also

Further reading