John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge

John Roebling's blue suspension bridge over the Ohio River, a forerunner of his Brooklyn Bridge.

The engineer John A. Roebling designed it, and he is the same man who later designed the famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York, which opened in 1883 with a much longer span of 1,595.5 feet. Today pedestrians use the bridge to get between the hotels, restaurants, and bars on both sides, and the lively area at the Kentucky end is known as Roebling Point.

Why was it needed?

In the mid-1800s, goods and people moved between Ohio and Kentucky, and steamboats and ferries crowded the river. A bridge could carry traffic without adding to the jam on the water. A company formed in February 1846 and asked Roebling for a plan. He proposed a span of about 1,200 feet with 100 feet of clearance so steamboats could pass, but his first idea also had a giant tower in the middle of the river.

What stood in the way?

Steamboat and ferry owners feared a bridge would block the river and take their customers, so they lobbied against it, and Ohio lawmakers refused to approve the plan at first. Roebling wrote a 36-page report to answer them. Eventually the legislature saw a suspension bridge being built upriver at Wheeling and changed its mind. It approved the bridge, but required a very long span of 1,400 feet, and it also insisted on choosing the location itself.

On the globe

The model shows Roebling's blue suspension bridge over the Ohio River, the forerunner of his Brooklyn Bridge.