Early history The original bridge first opened on April 1, 1872, under the name
Newport and Cincinnati Bridge, and was Cincinnati's first railroad bridge spanning the Ohio River. In its original configuration, the bridge had one railroad track and featured two roadways cantilevered outside the trusses. In 1896 a reconstruction of the bridge began designed by engineer M. J. Becker. This was done to modernize the bridge, as it had become obsolete with the increased weight and frequency of trains. Tolls were to be collected on the carriage deck, in order to pay for the bridge's maintenance, as well as to make a profit. The piers were extended to the west, carrying two new streetcar decks and a vehicular deck between them. This work also rebuilt the existing railroad deck into a
Pennsylvania truss and four
Parker trusses. The bridge's approaches were also reconstructed. Work was completed in December 1897. In 1904, the bridge was renamed the
L&N (Louisville and Nashville) Railroad Bridge, when that company purchased it. Soon after, the vehicle deck was given a new asphalt driving surface for automobiles, among other improvements. In 1956, a loop ramp from 3rd Street was opened to traffic, replacing the at-grade intersection, while a new ramp was also built to connect to the
Columbia Parkway, the latter of which was the reason the ramp was built. Also around this time, the railroad deck was altered to go in one direction at peak travel times in the mornings and evenings. This required installation of repair platforms and relatively minor alterations to the truss. In 2012, the Purple People Bridge Company announced it was considering building retail space on the bridge in order to fund work on it. However, they acknowledged that it might not be possible, as such, an engineer would have to see if it was or would need a retrofit to do such. While In 2017, a proposal to repaint the bridge and install permanent lighting on the bridge was also made. The bridge was repaired in 2021 after damage from a flood. In 2022, the Newport Southbank Bridge and its owner was officially renamed the "Purple People Bridge", at which point the entryway arches in Cincinnati and Newport were also repainted purple. In 2024, the bridge was temporarily closed after parts of the sandstone block fell off of the bridge pier in Cincinnati. Nobody was killed or injured in the accident. However, the incident brought attention to the lack of funding for structural maintenance. In September 2025, the city of Newport, Kentucky announced that it had officially assumed complete ownership of the bridge, after a vote made by the company's owner. ==Gallery==