i.e. Not the C & O;  Not the Suspension

1829 bridge plan. Details.

Thomas Kennedy's Ferry, 1802	Civil War troops crossing on the ferry Covington, c. 1862.   note the Suspension Bridge Pier in the background

 

Federal volunteers crossing the Ohio River from Cincinnati to Covington on a pontoon bridge of coal barges on September 5th, 1862.  That’s a partially completed pier of the Suspension Bridge in the background.
A soldier, William Wiley whose duty was the bring wagons across this bridge had some thoughts on the mules the government had purchased for war duty. Read the excerpt from his diary.

 

Wesley Cameron is the man that actually designed and built the pontoon bridge. In 48 hours.

 

And that November, you could buy the timbers
from the Behringer-Crawford's Facebook page

 

Brent Spence Bridge under construction, 1963	Brent Spence Bridge under construction	Brent Spence Bridge under construction photo by Jack Klumpe, October 4, 1963

 

Brent Spence bridge construction. The orange paint is primer. The sailors in the center image are from a US Navy Reserve Center on W. 3rd that was replaced by a restaurant (the Conservatory) in the mid 1960's. From Facebook posts by Ann McMillan Howard

 

Covington Riverfront
From a Facebook post by Jim Allen

 

Spence Bridge Construction
From Facebook posts by John Siemer		From a Facebook post by Scott Jacobs

 

c. 1963

Spence Bridge, under construction	From the Kentucky side, July 1963 From a Facebook post by Ray Hadorn

 

Spence Bridge, under construction, from the Ohio side. From a Facebook post by Vincent John Vassil			Spence Bridge, under construction, from the Ohio side, 1962 From a Facebook post by Kurt Hultquist

 

Spence Bridge Construction

 

Spence Bridge Approach Plans, 1955

 

There's Video of the Brent Spence Bridge construction.

 

Two lanes, north and south

 

The Brent Spence Bridge, 1964	This is Brent Spence, standing on the Brent Spence Bridge Photo by Jack Klempe.	The original Ohio end  of the Spence Bridge
The Spence bridge unofficially opened on November 25, 1963, and was formally dedicated on December 2. It was scheduled earlier, but delayed because of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (for whom Spence argued the bridge should have been named).

 

The Spence Bridge opens.	The controversy over whether the bridge should be named after JFK.
The Spence Bridge construction was not without its problems.	Facts and figures from the opening of the new Spence Bridge

Artists' conceptions of possible Spence Bridge replacement

 

Current (2023)	As proposed	Alternate Proposal
Design studies for the Spence Bridge replacement

 

Another Proposal

 

Still more artists' conceptions of possible Spence Bridge replacement (2024)

 

Yet another design, from June 2005
(“This time for sure.” - Bullwinkle Moose)

19th Street Viaduct, new in the fall of 1931. More here.

 

Banklick Creek, Covington

The rivermen objected to the proposed Covington and Cincinnati Rapid Transit Bridge.