Roebling Bridge | Kentucky Life | KET

Northern Kentucky's John A. Roebling Bridge was once the longest suspension bridge in the world at 1,057 feet. It was a marvel of civil engineering—and a model for the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. In this segment we get some amazing bird's-eye views of the bridge from a helicopter and from the top of the 75-foot towers.

John Roebling was already well known as a bridge designer and the inventor of the wire rope when he was hired to build the Ohio River bridge linking Covington, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio. Construction began in 1856, but it would be more than a decade before it opened due to financial downturns and the Civil War.

The bridge's two massive towers with their 30-foot arches were built from limestone and sandstone. The cables were spun from wrought iron imported from England. Notably, Roebling also strengthened the bridge with innovative diagonal stays that extended from the towers to the bridge deck.

The bridge opened to traffic on Jan. 1, 1867, and today is recognized as a National Historic Landmark. The Covington Cincinnati Suspension Bridge Committee continues efforts to preserve this iconic structure.

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Covington Cincinnati Suspension Bridge Committee http://roeblingbridge.org/


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