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Key Facts |
Bridge Name | Type | Road | Location | City | Crossing |
| Roebling Bridge | Suspension | Multiple Roads / Routes | Kenton County, KY / Hamilton County, OH | Covington and Cincinnati | Ohio River |
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Technical Facts |
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Construction Date |
Rehabilitation Dates | Total Length | Main Span Length | Vertical Clearance | Roadway Width | Builder |
| 1866 | 1899, 1955 | 2161.5 Feet | 1056.8 Feet | 18 Feet | 24.9 Feet | John A. Roebling |
This bridge is the one of the oldest bridges to be featured on this website, with a construction date of 1866! I could spend hours talking about this bridge because it is not only a complex bridge, with many parts to it, but it also has a long history. I will instead just point out some of my random thoughts at this time, and plan on expanding my discussion for this bridge in the future. I would like to direct you to the photo gallery for this bridge. Unlike many bridges featured on this website, there was actually sun shining when I visited this wondrous bridge. I have some excellent photos of this bridge as a result. In addition, I have a bunch of photos of all the details and connections that make up this bridge. To help make browsing the over 100 photos available for this bridge easy, I sorted them into separate photo pages, all which are available from the "View Photos" page.
While this bridge is classified as a suspension bridge, it is as much a cable-stayed bridge. I find it ironic that Roebling used cable stays on his bridges that were built so long ago. Cable-stays pretty much died out along with him for over a century until they re-popularized as modern landmark bridges built in the 21st century are more often cable-stayed bridges these days than anything else, suspension bridges included. A major rehabilitation occurred to this bridge when the stiffening truss and deck was replaced. This means a major part of the bridge is really 1890s materials, not 1866. This would account for the traditional members, chords, and connections that are pleasing to the eye of a metal truss bridge enthusiast.
People often compare this bridge to New York City's Brooklyn Bridge, which is much larger, but is also slightly newer. I personally like the arched stiffening truss that is filled with v-lacing and lattice on the Roebling Bridge better than the slightly plainer, boxy stiffening truss on the Brooklyn Bridge. The Roebling Bridge's stiffening truss has a graceful arch to it. The Roebling Bridge is also a bit easier to photograph and look at up close than Brooklyn also, since the sidewalk is on the same level as the road. However, if I make it to New York City, that doesn't mean I won't be visiting and photographing that bridge!
