The Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge is a

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

built in 1931 that carries U.S. Route 62 across the Ohio River to connect

Maysville, Kentucky Maysville is a "Home rule in the United States, home rule" class city in Mason County, Kentucky, Mason County, Kentucky, United States, and is the county seat of Mason County. The population was 8,873 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

with

Aberdeen, Ohio Aberdeen is a village in Huntington Township, Brown County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River southeast of Cincinnati. The population was 1,515 at the 2020 census. History Aberdeen was founded by James Edwards in 1795 and platted by ...

. Its main span is long, and the total length of the bridge is . The bridge was designed by Modjeski and Masters and was open to traffic on November 25, 1931. Tolls were collected from the opening of the bridge until 1945. The bridge was closed for rehabilitation in 2003 and 2004 after the William H. Harsha Bridge was completed. URS Corp. prepared the rehabilitation plans which consisted of a deck replacement, structural steel repairs, a new inspection walkway, and a new handrail on the main spans. The bridge was painted and returned to its original color, silver. It was rumored that the bridge was painted green during World War II to help "disguise" it from air attacks. National Engineering and Contracting Company completed the construction and painting for the rehabilitation at a cost of $5.7 million. In July 2019, The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet ordered a 3-ton weight limit placed on the bridge after a routine inspection found significant safety hazards with the cable suspension system. In November 2019, the bridge was closed due to corrosion in the suspension cable connectors. The bridge is expected to be repaired and put back in service by April 15, 2020. As of May 21, 2020, the bridge remained closed after an inspection of the cable repairs determined that the bridge needed rust-proofing. On June 12, 2020, the bridged reopened for traffic with a 15-ton weight restriction after being closed for nearly 6-months so a short-term fix could be done to reduce stress on 19 damaged and rust coated cables. The bridge is expected to undergo major rehabilitation work in the future, including replacing all cables.

Gallery

SimonKentonBridge.jpg, Taken from the Kentucky side in 2006 Simon Kenton Bridge aerial 2019.jpg, Aerial view in 2019 Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge 2023d.jpg, At night in 2023

References

External links

Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge
at Bridgemeister
Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge
at Bridges & Tunnels * Suspension bridges in the United States Suspension bridges in Ohio Road bridges in Ohio Bridges completed in 1931 Bridges over the Ohio River Buildings and structures in Brown County, Ohio Towers in Kentucky Transportation in Brown County, Ohio Buildings and structures in Maysville, Kentucky Road bridges in Kentucky U.S. Route 62 Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Former toll bridges in Kentucky Former toll bridges in Ohio Steel bridges in the United States 1931 establishments in Kentucky 1931 establishments in Ohio Transportation in Mason County, Kentucky {{Ohio-bridge-struct-stub