Broadway Bridge - Bridges and Tunnels

The Broadway Bridge carried US Route 421 over the Kentucky River in Frankfort, Kentucky. It is the fourth bridge at that location.

History

The Broadway Bridge carried US Route 421 over the Kentucky River in Frankfort, Kentucky. It is the fourth bridge at that location. ²

The first crossing across the river at that site was a covered bridge completed circa 1850. ² The combination railroad, carriage, and pedestrian crossing was destroyed by arson by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan in 1862 to sever an important railroad link in the South. A replacement covered bridge was built in 1864; it was washed away in a flood several years later. An iron Fink truss bridge was completed in 1868 and replaced in 1910 with a stronger pin-connected Baltimore Petit through-truss with deck plate girder approaches.

The Louisville & Nashville Railroad constructed a separate railroad bridge in 1929. ²The existing crossing was reused to carry Broadway and US Route 421 across the river.

Broadway Bridge (Old US 127 & US 421) — The c. 1920 image, by Willard Rouse Jillison, shows the third iteration of the Broadway Bridge.

L&N Bridge (Louisville & Nashville Railroad), Broadway Bridge (Old US 127 & US 421) — The c. 1920 image, by Willard Rouse Jillison, shows the third iteration of the Broadway Bridge.

The Broadway Bridge was bypassed in 1989 when a new four-lane alignment was constructed downstream to carry US Route 421 over the river. ¹ Due to a deteriorated superstructure and substructure, the crossing was closed to automobile traffic in 1992.