Spottsville Bridge is a through truss bridge that carries US Route 60 over the Green River in Spottsville, Kentucky.
A privately operated ferry had operated over the Green River at Spottsville since the 1800s, but following the rise of automobile usage and the designation of US Route 60 across the state in November 1926, the ferry became increasingly overburdened. The new Spottsville Bridge was completed at the cost of $225,000 and opened on December 17, 1931. It was dedicated to Richard W. Owen, an early member of the Kentucky Highway Commission from Daviess County who was instrumental in a bridge-building boom across the Commonwealth. The new 1,102-foot crossing comprised of a deck girder span, two Parker through trusses, including a 359-foot main span, and four Warren deck trusses.
The collection of tolls ceased on August 18, 1945, which was a week in advance of the time statisticians had figured the bridge, along with seven others at Boonesboro, Burnside, Canton, Eggner’s Ferry, Paducah, Smithland, and Tyrone, would have collected enough tolls to pay off their construction bonds.
In September 2013, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet selected a consultant to study possible options for replacing the Spottsville Bridge which was not only functionally obsolete because of its narrow deck width of less than 20 feet, but because of structural issues. KYTC began preparation work for constructing the new Spottsville Bridge in February 2020 which was dedicated on August 17, 2022.
Check out our first video which was taken of the Spottsville Bridge just two days before the secondary span was blasted; the main span will be blasted later in October.
