Glover Cary Bridge

The Glover H. Cary Bridge is a continuous truss bridge that spans the Ohio River between Owensboro, Kentucky and Spencer County, Indiana. It was named for the late U.S. Congressman Glover H. Cary (1885-1936), and opened to traffic in September 1940. It was originally a toll bridge, but tolls were discontinued in 1954.

The bridge was funded through a $1.03 million federal grant, part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program, and public fundraising efforts. At first, the bridge connected Kentucky Highway 75 to Indiana Highway 75; in 1954, Kentucky 75 was redesignated U.S. Highway 431 and Indiana 75 became U.S. Highway 231.

In the fall of 2002, when the William H. Natcher Bridge was completed, U.S. 231 was rerouted onto that bridge and the former U.S. highway became the southern leg of an extended State Road 161.

Trivia

* Local residents call the Cary Bridge the "Blue Bridge" because of its color. It was scheduled to be repainted in 2006 and a Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro's newspaper) sponsored vote was done to determine what color to paint the bridge. Not surprisingly, blue was the overwhelming winner. The repainting has not yet started and Owensboro residents have increasingly complained to the Messenger-Inquirer that the bridge is becoming an eyesore without the repainting.
* The William H. Natcher Bridge was built upstream from Owensboro to supplement the Cary Bridge, but the older bridge remains a vital river crossing, carrying approximate 8,500 vehicles across the Ohio River each day. This is primairly because the Cary bridge is much closer to Owensboro proper.
* Following the collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota in August 2007, Kentucky officials (including Governor Ernie Fletcher), sought to reassure motorists that Kentucky's bridges are safe. The bridge was subject to a detailed biennial inspection in August 2008. Kentucky and Indiana highway officials conducted a joint walk-through inspection of the structure on September 22, 2008. Engineers are planning an $8 million rehab of the bridge expected to start sometime in the next two years.

Condition of the Blue Bridge

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is spending 3 weeks patching the bridge deck starting October 13, 2008. According to KYTC spokesman Keith Todd the deck patching project is designed to prepare the bridge for coming winter weather.

ee also

*List of crossings of the Ohio River

Crossings navbox
structure = Bridges
place = Ohio River
bridge = Glover Cary Bridge
bridge signs = KY 2155
upstream = William H. Natcher Bridge
upstream signs =
downstream = I-69 Bridge
downstream signs = Future