Ten Louisville Tourist Attractions I've Been To: Big Four Bridge (#3)

Tweet

There's so much to do when you go on vacation that you can't see it all. I feel that way about the city I live in! I'm highlighting ten places in town that are major tourist spots that I've never been to, as well as looking at those that I have been to. This one is a big favorite of mine. #3: Big Four Bridge As Steve Goodman put it in "City of New Orleans," "this train's got the disappearing railroad blues." I wish we had better rail transportation in America. Maybe that comes from living here in Louisville: we were part of a rail line (the L&N, or Louisville & Nashville). That is part of the legacy of the Big Four Bridge. It was owned by the Big Four Railroad Company and a major link through Louisville when it served as a railroad bridge. But as rail traffic diminished, the bridge was no longer useful as a railroad bridge (the nearby K&I Bridge being more suitable), and it fell into disrepair. Then along came Waterfront Park, and with it a grand idea to connect Louisville and southern Indiana via a pedestrian walkway on the old bridge. Things didn't go great (there was a fire during the reconstruction, and there were protests), but eventually it did open. The results were simply terrific. There are "railroad tracks" in the center of the bridge, an ode to what the bridge used to be. Ramps on either side of the bridge (they're hard for me to walk up on occasion, but they are ADA approved) lead up to the bridge, where you can walk across the Ohio River and the Kentucky/Indiana state line (which is on the northern bank of the Ohio River). Views? Stunning. (See picture.) It's great exercise, too, given that it's about one mile one way across the bridge (not counting the ramp). And the price is right: free! In the summer there are bike rentals (bikes are allowed on the bridge). A word of caution: there have been incidents near the bridge, usually after dark. During the day, though, it's usually safe. It's one of my favorite places to walk in the summer.