George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge
(2nd Street Bridge)
NBI Information
Location
State: Kentucky
County: Jefferson County
Feature Carried: Second Street (US-31)
Feature Crossed: Ohio River
Latitude, Longitude: 38.2636,-85.7517
Toll: On free road
Maintenance Responsibility: State Highway Agency
Structure Open, Posted, or Closed to Traffic: Posted for load (may include other restrictions such as temporary bridges which are load posted)
History
Year Built: 1929
Historical Significance: Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Year Reconstructed: 1958
Picture Date: May 20, 2021
Geometry
Lanes on Structure: 4
Lanes under Structure: 9
Skew: 0 degrees
Number of Main Spans: 7
Main Structure Type: Truss - Thru
Main Structure Material: Steel
Number of Approach Spans: 21
Approach Structure Type: Girder and Floorbeam System
Approach Structure Material: Steel
Condition
Inspection Date: June 2022
Deck Condition: Satisfactory
Superstructure Condition: Fair
Substructure Condition: Fair
Channel Condition: Good
Culvert: Not Applicable
NBI Year: 2023
Bridge Information
The George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, also known as the Second Street Bridge, is a cantilevered truss bridge that crosses the Ohio River between Kentucky and Indiana. This landmark opened in 1929, and stands out as one of the few surviving examples of a pre-1930 highway truss bridge over the Ohio River. It has an impressive lack of alteration that is not typically seen, and it was interesting to see what the old bridges were like.
This bridge consists of two identical cantilevered polygonal Warren Through Truss bridge units, which results in a special double anchor pier. At this pier, the truss end posts are vertical instead of angled. This gives the truss a continuous appearance, although there is an extremely large expansion joint in the deck at this point. The bridge was also constructed from the center outwards towards land, instead of using the more common practice of starting at the shore.
References
Historic Bridges: https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=kentucky/clarkmemorialbridge/
IN.gov: https://www.in.gov/indot/projects/files/031214-Clark-Memorial-Bridge-Treatment-Plan-Revision-3.pdf
Bridges and Tunnels: http://bridgestunnels.com/location/george-rogers-clark-memorial-bridge/#google_vignette
