Greenup Bridge

The now-demolished Greenup Bridge carried US Route 23 over the Little Sandy River in Greenup, Kentucky.

The one-lane Greenup Bridge was constructed in 1884 by the King Iron Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio. ^{5 6} It was bypassed in 1952 when US Route 23 was placed on a new alignment to bypass downtown Greenup.

The bridge was rehabilitated in 1954 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. ⁶ It was closed to traffic in September 2003 because of structural deterioration. The bridge was slated for removal in January 2004, ² but the process was halted due to objections from area residents. ³ It was one of the oldest King Bridge Company crossings and the second-longest multi-span, pin-connected truss bridges in the state. ⁶

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet offered three replacement alternatives, including a no-build option. One option would replace the crossing with a two-lane concrete bridge at a cost of $2 million and reconstruct Washington Street from US Route 23 to downtown Greenup at a cost of $1.4 million. ¹ Several residents advocated that the bridge be converted into a pedestrian-only facility.²

In September 2011, American Contracting and Services was awarded a $4.7 million contract to demolish the Greenup Bridge and replace it with a two-lane concrete bridge. ⁴

Information

• State: Kentucky
• Route: US Route 23
• Type: Pratt Through Truss
• Status: Demolished - Replaced
• Total Length: 423 feet
• Main Span Length: 139 feet
• Deck Width: 15.5 feet
• Above Vertical Clearance: 17 feet

Sources

1. “Meeting set to discuss bridge replacement.” Daily Independent 5 Mar. 2005. 8 Oct. 2007 Article.
2. Fields, Ben. “Greenup business owner meets with engineer, state official.” Daily Independent 10 Dec. 2003. 8 Oct. 2007Article.
3. Hart, Kenneth. “State to build new bridge in Greenup.” Daily Independent 06 June 2005. 8 Oct. 2007 Article.
4. “Bid Awarded for New Downtown Greenup Bridge.” WSAZ 6 Sept. 2011. 28 Sept. 2011 Article.
5. Plaque.
6. Powell, H., and D. Griffith. KY 2541 Bridge. N.p.: n.p., 1987.Kentucky Historic Resources. Web. 17Jan. 2012. Article.