Construction on the bridge began in August 1910 and was completed in November 1912.It cost over $2 million dollars. It was one of the heaviest and largest plain truss bridges on earth.
(In this vintage postcard you can see the K&I Bridge)
It was primarily designed to carry railroad traffic and is is 70 feet wide
It has wagon ways on each side. These were paved with heavy creosoted wood blocks and were intended primarily to accommodate horse and wagon traffic…which used the bridge on a toll basis. Cars and trucks replayed horse drawn vehicles.
Today…
The creosote paving blocks remained until 1952 they were replaced by steel grid work.
February 1979- a section of the roadbed broke under the weight of an overloaded gravel truck. Traffic has been closed since to any cars or trucks.
Information on The Big Four Bridge
Nice site. I’ll have to look at it more when I get time.
One thing. This was the second K&I bridge.
The first was built in 1886.
The new one was built beside it on new piers.
It also has a draw span (New Albany side) which was opened
a total of four times and closed by the Corps of Engineers in 1955.
You can find some postcards on the second map @
http://home.insightbb.com/~sintax101/jeff.html