Purple People Bridge

The Purple People Bridge (Newport–Southbank Bridge) is a pedestrian span across the Ohio River connecting Newport, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio.

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The Purple People Bridge, formally known as the Newport–Southbank Bridge, is a pedestrian-only crossing over the Ohio River linking Newport, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio. Originally completed in 1872 as a railroad bridge, it later carried a mix of rail, streetcar, and vehicular traffic before its conversion to exclusive pedestrian use in 2003. Its distinctive purple color resulted from a public selection process during a significant restoration effort in the early 2000s. Today, the bridge serves as both a practical connection between the riverfronts and a symbolic landmark for the region.

History

Newport Ferry Company

From the 1830s through the 1850s, Newport, Kentucky, pursued a series of legal challenges against the Taylor family’s exclusive control of the ferry to Cincinnati. ²⁰ In every instance, the courts ruled in favor of the Taylors. In 1866, Captain John A. Williamson joined William N. Air to form Air & Williamson, which leased and operated the Newport Ferry. ²¹

By September 1868, efforts to build a bridge between Newport and Cincinnati gained new support. ²⁰ Opposition to the Taylor family’s ferry monopoly increased after the ferry operators announced that they would end their discounted commuter program on October 1. Under that program, a man and his family, including servants, could cross on foot for $8 per year, while single individuals paid $6. The ferry company planned to replace this system with commutation tickets sold in packets of 100 for $1.25.

Citizens organized mass meetings to protest the proposed rates, and a committee met with Captain Williamson of Air & Williamson. ²⁰ Williamson defended the changes, stating that the company had lost $4,000 over the preceding six months.

The committee then turned to alternatives. It secured a new commuter arrangement with the Covington & Newport Bridge Company, which operated the bridge over the Licking River, and opened discussions with the Covington & Cincinnati Bridge Company, which managed the suspension bridge over the Ohio River. ²⁰ Beginning September 30, Newport commuters could cross both rivers for one and a quarter cents per trip by purchasing tickets in packets of 100. Despite this new option, the Newport Ferry proceeded with its planned fare increase.

Newport & Cincinnati Railroad Bridge

Despite public opposition in Newport to the Taylor ferry monopoly, private interests worked to persuade the railroads to extend their line across the Ohio River into Cincinnati by way of Newport. ²⁰ In February 1868, the Newport & Cincinnati Bridge Company was formed to build a bridge between the two cities that would accommodate railroad tracks, pedestrians, and various vehicles.

The Newport city council continued its own efforts to bring the Louisville, Cincinnati & Lexington Railroad (LC&L) to the city. ²⁰ On May 12, 1868, it passed two ordinances: one granting the railroad a right-of-way along city streets, and another providing part of a street for the future bridge approach. Construction of the Newport & Cincinnati Railroad Bridge began in August 1869 and concluded on April 1, 1872. ^{1 2}

The structure was the first railroad bridge to link Cincinnati and northern Kentucky across the Ohio River. ^{1 2 11} Before its completion, the Cincinnati & Lexington Railroad had terminated in Covington and relied on a ferry to move railcars to Cincinnati. ⁵ Covington had previously refused to sell the right-of-way for an Ohio River bridge approach, fearing that a bridge would eliminate its status as the railroad’s terminus.

The completed bridge was owned by the Little Miami Railroad, which also operated the Cincinnati terminal facilities used by the LC&L. ^{1 11} It was built by Jacob H. Linnville and the Keystone Bridge Company of Pittsburgh, with piers constructed of stone from Adams County, Ohio. ³ The bridge carried a single railroad track and two roadways placed outside the trusses on projecting floor beams. ⁴

Its design incorporated a wide range of structural elements: a 1,130-foot timber trestle; a 100-foot through truss; six deck trusses of varying lengths (one 75-foot, one 85-foot, and four 80-foot spans); an 85-foot Whipple through truss; three brick arch spans totaling 137 feet; two pony trusses of 92.2 and 96 feet; and six Whipple through trusses measuring 137, 418, 237, 260, and two 202.5 feet. Additional components included three 43.8-foot spans, seven brick arch spans totaling 182 feet, one 35-foot span, and five brick arch spans with an approach wall totaling 326.2 feet. Altogether, the bridge extended 3,022 feet.

Louisville & Nashville Railroad Bridge

In 1897, the river crossing underwent a major reconstruction and expansion directed by M. J. Becker, chief engineer of the Newport & Cincinnati Bridge Company. The company was owned and controlled by the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (PCC&StL, Panhandle Route), which had leased the Little Miami Railroad in 1869. ⁴ The project aimed to accommodate multiple types of traffic, including one track for the L&N, two streetcar tracks for the Cincinnati, Newport & Covington Railway (CN&C), a pedestrian sidewalk, and a roadway for carriages.

The work involved widening and strengthening several piers, removing others, and modifying the superstructure. ⁴ The changes included installing a 133-foot truss, a 505-foot Pennsylvania through truss, and four Parker through trusses, each 198 feet long. The bridge also incorporated plate girder sections and three brick arch spans on the Cincinnati side, as well as plate girder sections and seven brick arch span approaches on the Newport side. The substructure was completed by Hutte & Foley, while the Edge Moor Bridge Works of Wilmington, Delaware, fabricated and erected the superstructure under Becker’s direction.

The reconstructed bridge featured a 20-foot-wide carriage path for horses and buggies, a streetcar track located between the carriage path and the railroad track, and a second streetcar track placed on the west side of the structure, away from the through truss. ⁵

In 1904, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N) acquired the bridge, after which the river crossing became known as the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Bridge. ¹ At that time, its carriage path was repaved to accommodate automobile traffic. ⁵

In 1928, the Kentucky Highway Department sought to acquire the bridge’s vehicular and pedestrian section. ¹² The L&N opposed the plan, noting that the crossing had not generated profits from non-rail traffic until automobiles became common. State officials responded by threatening to build a separate highway bridge nearby. Ultimately, Kentucky Highway Commissioner J. Lyter Donaldson reached an agreement with the railroad, and on November 15, 1935, the state purchased the vehicular and pedestrian portion for $1.8 million. To finance the acquisition, 3% bonds were issued, and tolls remained in place until the bonds were paid.

The final tolls were collected at 2 p.m. on November 11, 1941. ¹² One hour later, before a crowd of more than 5,000, Kentucky Governor Keen Johnson joined Cincinnati Mayor James G. Stewart, Commissioner Donaldson, and Cincinnati City Manager C. O. Sherrill in cutting a ribbon symbolizing the bridge’s release from tolls.

After the lower level of the Dixie Terminal opened on November 27, 1921, the CN&C consolidated its streetcar routes to cross the Central Bridge, retaining the tracks on the L&N Railroad Bridge only for emergencies. ⁹ Streetcar service in Kentucky ended by July 3, 1950, replaced by trolleybuses and later motor buses, and the center streetcar track on the L&N Bridge was converted into a pedestrian walkway. ^{1 5 8 10}

During the 1950s, the L&N Railroad Bridge and the nearby Central Bridge were assigned one-way traffic patterns during peak hours to improve capacity, and in 1956, a looped entrance ramp was added from 2nd Street. ⁵ In 1980, Kentucky repainted the automobile and pedestrian side of the bridge and installed a new flooring system and deck along the roadway. ²²

Closure

In 1971, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL) acquired the remaining L&N shares it did not already own, making the L&N a subsidiary. As railroad consolidation continued through the 1970s and 1980s, SCL fully absorbed the L&N in 1982, forming the system known as Family Lines.

At the end of June 1984, SCL discontinued use of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Bridge after beginning to coordinate local operations with the Chessie System, which operated the former Chesapeake & Ohio lines in the region. ^{13 14} Traffic on the route had already declined following the abandonment of the Little Miami Railroad and the Cincinnati, Lebanon & Northern Railway, both of which had connected to the bridge. Its routing through Newport, which included street running, also complicated operations. SCL shifted its trains to the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Cincinnati Bridge.

In 1986, SCL formally merged with the Chessie System, creating CSX Transportation (CSX).

By 1987, the tracks on the bridge had been removed, and much of the north approach viaduct had been dismantled. ⁵ Although CSX offered the structure for sale and received three serious proposals, no sale occurred. ¹³ Deferred maintenance through the 1990s led to further deterioration.

The L&N Railroad Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 19, 2001. Owing to its deteriorated condition, it was permanently closed to automobile traffic in October of that year. ¹

Purple People Bridge

In 2000, ^{7 15} at the urging of Kentucky House Majority Caucus Chairman Jim Callahan, who sought to restore and repaint the deteriorated Louisville & Nashville Railroad Bridge, ¹⁵ the Kentucky legislature approved a $4 million budget for the bridge’s full rehabilitation and repainting. ^{1 6 7} At the time, the bridge was jointly owned by the state and CSX. During the restoration process, CSX donated its share to the newly formed Southbank Partners, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet transferred its share to the city of Newport. The city and Southbank Partners then created a separate nonprofit, the Newport Southbank Bridge Company, to own and manage the structure.

To select a new color for the bridge, more than a dozen focus groups were convened. ⁶ Participants viewed computer-generated renderings of the bridge in various colors, and all groups unanimously chose purple.

The restored Newport Southbank Bridge—soon popularly known as the Purple People Bridge—opened to pedestrians and non-motorized traffic on April 26, 2003. ⁷

The Purple People Bridge Climb debuted on June 19, 2006, offering participants the opportunity to climb over the trusses of the river spans. ^{6 16} It was the first attraction of its kind in the Northern Hemisphere, modeled after the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb. The venture closed on May 23, 2007, after drawing only 10,000 participants, well below the projected 30,000 to 40,000 per year. ¹⁷ Contributing factors included its relatively low 140-foot height above the river compared to Sydney’s 440-foot climb, its high cost, mandatory purple suits, restrictions on photography, and a costly lawsuit over project rights that strained operating funds.

In 2012, the Newport Southbank Bridge Company announced a $100 million development plan intended to create a stable revenue source for bridge maintenance, including an anticipated $1 million repainting project. ¹⁸ The proposal called for building a hotel, retail space, and restaurants directly on the bridge. To advance the plan, the bridge company entered into an agreement with DW Real Estate Holdings to construct a 160,000-square-foot entertainment complex. The Kentucky General Assembly allocated $650,000 for an engineering study, completed in March 2014, which found that the bridge could support such development if $1 million in repairs were made. Despite the favorable findings, DW Real Estate Holdings was unable to secure the necessary financing.

In 2022, the Purple People Bridge marked its 150th anniversary with a series of summer events. ⁶

In September 2025, ownership of the bridge transferred from the Purple People Bridge Company, formerly the Newport Southbank Bridge Company, to the city of Newport. ²³ The city now manages the bridge and continues to collaborate with Southbank Partners and other regional organizations on its long-term maintenance and programming, including events such as the return of “Winter Nights & River Lights” during the holiday season.

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Gallery

Cincinnati Approach

Newport Approach

Miscellaneous

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Details

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Sources

1. “History.” The Purple People Bridge.
2. Sonnenberg, Elissa. “Purple People Greeter.” Cincinnati Magazine, 2006.
3. Evans, Nelson Wiley. A History of Adams County, Ohio: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. E B. Stivers, 1900, p. 427.
4. “Erection of the Newport and Cincinnati Bridge.” The Engineering Record, 23. Jul. 1898, pp. 158-160.
5. Mecklenberg, Jake. “Louisville & Nashville RR Bridge.” Cincinnati Transit.
6. Ogwude, Haadiza. “The Purple People Bridge is 150 years old. Here’s a brief history of the landmark.” CIncinnati Enquirer, 8 Aug. 2002.
7. “The color purple links river cities.” Herald-Leader, 23 Apr. 2003, p. B3.
8. Jakucyk, Jeffrey. “Streetcar Information.” Cincinnati Traction History.
9. “Cincinnati, Newport and Covington Ry.” NKY Views.
10. “Covington Streetcars.” NKY Views.
11. “The Enterprise.” Courier-Journal, 28 Jun. 1869, p. 1.
12. “Last Fares are Collected on Newport Span.” Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Nov. 1941, pp. 1-20.
13. “For sale: 1 bridge across Ohio River.” Herald-Leader, 27 Jul. 1987, p. B12.
14. “Firm may sell L&N Bridge.” Cincinnati Post, 17 Aug. 1984, p. 10C.
15. Downs, Maggie. “Purple People Bridge links Newport, downtown.” Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Apr. 2003, pp. A1-A8.
16. Rutledge, Mike. “First group sees a new side of city, riverfront.” Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Jun. 2006, p. B2.
17. Clark, Ryan. “Bridge closing ruins wedding.” Cincinnati Enquirer, 25 May 2007, p. B3.
18. Wartman, Scott. “Purple People Bridge hotel, shops in limbo.” Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Jan. 2015, pp. A1-A3.
19. “Bridges at Cincinnati.” Street Railway Review, 15 Dec. 1898, p. 893.
20. Tenkotte, Paul A. “Our Rich History: Building bridges, ending monopolies — Newport commuters.” NKyTribune, 15 Mar. 2021.
21. Tenkotte, Paul A. “Our Rich History: Dueling with Demons — Depression, debt, and deluge in Newport, 1873-1896.” NKyTribune, 31 May 2021.
22. Dias, Monica. “Three bridges are starting to show the age.” Cincinnati Post, 22 Feb. 1988, p. 25D.
23. “Winter Nights & River Lights returns to Purple People Bridge this week.” LinkNKY, 10 Nov. 2025.