Bridge coordinates are taken at the center of the bridge as it passes over the Ohio River -- we thought this was preferable because of the length of the bridge. Parking Coordinates are at the Falls of the Ohio State Park in Clarksville IN.
This amazing bridge is composed of four separate truss components and a girder span because of the needs to support heavy loads AND at the same time leave the river open for navigation.
The Falls of the Ohio bridge is composed of a girder bridge transitioning to the trussed section, a Pratt Box truss bridge supporting the railroad tracks, two Pennsylvania through-truss spans over navigation channels separated by Pratt-Box truss spans, and a Vertical-Lift Curved Warren truss drawbridge over the McAlpine Lock.
The bridge is owned by the Louisville & Indiana Railroad Company. The Penn Central Railroad has trackage rights over the bridge.
From the Bridgehunter website: (
visit link)
"Description
According to "Railroads of Indiana" this bridge had the longest simple riveted-truss span ever built at 643'10.5". The current structure was built in a 1919 rebuild of the 1870 structure which used most of the old piers. The 644 foot span crossed where two spans had been before and the unused pier was removed.
Pennsylvania Rail Road became the owner later and the current owner is Louisville and Indiana Railroad who purchased it from Conrail in 1994.
It is built for and has carried double tracks but currently only has one track. It stands 106.7 feet above river pool stage.
The first train crossed the bridge on "February 12, 1870. This bridge cost $2,003,696.27. In the various accidents during the construction of this work there were fifty-six men killed and eighty wounded." Quoting "The Big Four Railroad in Indiana" By Ared Maurice Murphy published 1925.
Facts
Overview
Through truss railroad bridge over the Ohio River at Louisville
Location
Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, and Clark County, Indiana
Status
Open to railroad traffic
History
Built 1919
Builders
- Pennsylvania Steel Co. of Steelton, Pennsylvania
- Waddell & Son of Kansas City, Missouri
Railroads
- Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway (CCC&StL; Big Four)
- Conrail (CR)
- Jeffersonville, Madison & Indianapolis Railroad (JMI)
- Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC)
- Louisville & Nashville Railroad (LN)
- Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR)
Design
Replaced the original bridge that was built in the late 1860's reusing much of the original substructure.
The bridge was rebuilt by Pennsylvania Steel Company between 1916 and 1919 with the Pennsylvania through-truss spans and vertical lift span still in use today.
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 644.0 ft.
Total length: 5,218.0 ft. (1.0 mi.)
Also called
PRR - Falls of the Ohio Bridge
Falls of the Ohio Bridge
Fourteenth Street Bridge
Ohio Falls Bridge
Inventory number
BH 18824 (Bridgehunter.com ID)"