Louisville & Nashville Railroad Bridge (Covington)

State: Kentucky
Route: CSX
Type: Warren Through Truss
Status: Active - Railroad

The Louisville & Nashville Railroad Bridge in Covington, Kentucky, originally served the Louisville & Nashville Railroad and now facilitates CSX Transportation trains over the Licking River.

The first bridge over the Licking River was constructed as part of the building of the Louisville, Cincinnati & Lexington Railroad (LC&L) through Covington and Newport in 1872. ^{2 3} The LC&L became the first railroad bridge to connect Cincinnati and northern Kentucky across the Ohio River. ^{2 3 4} Previously, the Cincinnati & Lexington Railroad had its endpoint in Covington, a neighboring city, and relied on a ferry to transport railroad cars to Cincinnati. ⁵

In 1904, the LC&L was acquired by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N), which became known as the “Short Line.” ²

In the 1920s, the L&N began a program to rebuild a number of its bridges in order to permit heavier motive power and trains. The reconstruction of the bridge over the Licking River was authorized in December 1924, in order to provide for the movement of heavier locomotives between its DeCoursey Yard and Cincinnati, Ohio. ¹ Construction commenced in February 1925 and was completed within the year.

In 1971, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL) purchased the remainder of the L&N shares it did not already own, and the L&N became a subsidiary. With the railroad consolidating in the 1970s and 1980s, SCL absorbed the L&N entirely in 1982 with the newly merged company known as Family Lines. In 1986, the SCL formally merged with the Chessie System, which became CSX Transportation (CSX).