Kentucky’s modern highway system owes much to an era when tolls funded key infrastructure across the state. In the early 20th century, the growing need for reliable roads and bridges outpaced available public funds. In response, the Kentucky General Assembly passed the Murphy Toll Bridge Act in 1928. This legislation allowed the State Department of Highways to issue construction bonds for new bridges to be repaid through toll collections. The law accelerated the development of vital river crossings, especially in rural regions where ferry service was slow, unreliable, or increasingly obsolete.
One such project was the replacement of the Tyrone Ferry, which operated near the distilleries and railroad yards along the Kentucky River in Woodford and Anderson counties. After the Murphy Act’s passage, state planners moved quickly to select a location for a new bridge. Two possible sites were considered: one adjacent to the existing ferry, and another near the Young’s High Bridge of the Southern Railway. The latter was chosen due to more stable geological conditions. By 1931, construction was underway, carried out by the Virginia Bridge Company. The span opened on June 8, 1932, with more than 2,000 in attendance at its dedication, which honored Joseph Clay Styles Blackburn, a U.S. Senator and former governor of the Panama Canal Zone.
Like many bridges built under the Murphy Act, the Tyrone Bridge was initially tolled, with fees helping to repay the construction bonds. Once those debts were retired, the tolls were removed—an occasion marked by a ceremony on August 25, 1945, attended by Governor Simeon S. Willis and other state officials. The bridge has remained an important crossing point for the region and underwent a major rehabilitation in 2006 to widen the deck and install new, historically appropriate railings. The story of the Tyrone Bridge reflects a broader pattern in Kentucky’s transportation history, where tolls once played a crucial role in connecting communities and modernizing infrastructure.