{{short description|Crossing of the Ohio River between Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}} {{Infobox bridge | bridge_name = George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge | image = George Rogers Clark Bridge 2025d.jpg | image_size = 300px | caption = The bridge in 2025 | official_name = | carries = 4 lanes of {{jct|country=USA|US|31}} | crosses = Ohio River | locale = Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana | other_name = Second Street Bridge | named_for = George Rogers Clark | maint = Kentucky Transportation Cabinet | preceded = John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge | followed = Fourteenth Street (L&I) Bridge | design = Cantilever bridge | material = steel | material2 = granite backed by concrete | length = {{convert|5746.5|ft|m|abbr=on}} | width = {{convert|38.0|ft|m|abbr=on}} | number_spans = 7 | piers_in_water = 6 | clearance_below = {{convert|72.6|ft|m|abbr=on}} at middle of channel span when river is at pool stage, or "normal" level | designer = Ralph Modjeski and Frank M. Masters | builder = Vang Construction Company (piers) and American Bridge Company (superstructure) | begin = June 30, 1928 (first caisson launched) | open = {{start date|1929|10|31}} | cost = $4.8 million | closed = | toll = | map_cue = | map_image = | map_text = | map_width = | coordinates = {{coord|38|15|49|N|85|45|05|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}} | lat = | long = | extra = {{Infobox designation list | embed = yes | designation1 = National Register of Historic Places | designation1_offname = Louisville Municipal Bridge, Pylons and Administration Building | designation1_date = March 8, 1984 | designation1_number = 84001578<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref> }} }}
The '''George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge''', known locally as the '''Second Street Bridge''', is a four-lane cantilevered truss bridge crossing the Ohio River between Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana, that carries US 31.
==History==
=== Planning and construction === Debate to build a highway bridge connecting Louisville to Jeffersonville began in 1919. Both cities and the public were in favor of building the bridge, but how to fund the project was unclear. In 1926 a ballot measure was voted down by residents which would have allowed the government to fund the bridge construction. A similar measure to fund the bridge construction with municipal insured bonds was voted down shortly after. Officials finally agreed to authorize a private company to construct the bridge using private funds, and they were granted authority to toll the bridge to recoup their investment.
The bridge was designed by Ralph Modjeski and Frank Masters with architectural details handled by Paul Philippe Cret of Philadelphia. Construction of the approaches and administration buildings began in 1926, and construction of the bridge itself began in June 1928 by the American Bridge Company of Pittsburgh at a cost of $4.7 million. The bridge was constructed using a newly invented method. Rather than build out from the shore, the bridge was constructed from the center towards land. The new method proved successful, and was subsequently used in the construction of many other bridges including the Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco a few years later. Newspapers reported two deaths during the construction of the bridge. The first worker died in 1929 after being struck by an iron crank,<ref>{{cite news|title=First Life Lost In Erection of Traffic Bridge|work=Jeffersonville Evening News |location=Jeffersonville, Indiana|date=June 19, 1929}}</ref> and a second worker died falling from the bridge and landing on a barge.<ref>{{cite news|title=Worker Killed in 85-foot Fall From Traffic Bridge|work=Jeffersonville Evening News |location=Jeffersonville, Indiana|date=September 10, 1929}}</ref>
=== Early history === left|thumb|Approach to the bridge in 1987 President Herbert Hoover dedicated the bridge at its opening.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fatlip.leoweekly.com/2010/10/08/bridges-authoritys-financing-plan-not-much-of-a-financing-plan/|title=Steve Shaw, ''Bridges Authority's financing plan not much of a financing plan'', LEO Weekly, October 8, 2010|access-date=October 19, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111162050/http://fatlip.leoweekly.com/2010/10/08/bridges-authoritys-financing-plan-not-much-of-a-financing-plan/|archive-date=November 11, 2013}}</ref> It was opened to the public on October 31, 1929, as the Louisville Municipal Bridge and operated as a toll bridge. The toll was 35 cents until December 31, 1936, when it was lowered to 25 cents. The last of the bonds that financed the construction were redeemed in 1946, and the tolls were removed.<ref name="SHAARD">{{cite web| url = https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/welcome.html| title = Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)| publisher = Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology| format = Searchable database| access-date = August 1, 2015| archive-date = November 23, 2018| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181123193539/https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/welcome.html| url-status = live}} ''Note:'' This includes {{cite web | url =https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/r/1f449/N/Louisville_Municipal_Bridge_Clark_CO_Nom.pdf | title =National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Louisville Municipal Bridge, Pylons and Administration Building | access-date =August 1, 2015 | author =M.A. Allgeier | date =October 1983 | archive-date =November 28, 2020 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20201128164458/https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/r/1f449/N/Louisville_Municipal_Bridge_Clark_CO_Nom.pdf | url-status =live }} and Accompanying photographs.</ref>
On January 17, 1949, the bridge was renamed in honor of George Rogers Clark, recognized as the founder of Louisville and neighboring Clark County, Indiana.<ref name=LUHAN105>{{cite book|last1=Luhan|first1=Gregory A.|first2=Dennis|last2=Domer|first3=David|last3=Mohoney|title=Louisville Guide|year=2004|publisher=Princeton Architectural Press|isbn=1-56898-451-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fai4OHydKKIC|page=105|access-date=October 30, 2016|archive-date=January 27, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127051256/https://books.google.com/books?id=fai4OHydKKIC|url-status=live}}</ref> The bridge was rehabilitated in 1958. There was a movement in the 1950s to restore tolls, as traffic on the bridge had reached capacity and funding was needed for an additional bridge, but a toll was opposed strongly by most residents. Ultimately most of the funds for two additional bridges (for motor vehicles only) that carry interstate highways came from the federal government.
The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 8, 1984, as the Louisville Municipal Bridge, Pylons and Administration Building.<ref name="nris"/>
=== 21st century === [[File:Towboat Craig E. Philip at George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge Ohio River mile 604 Louisville Kentucky USA September 2004 file a4i018.jpg|thumb|Towboat "Craig E. Philip" upbound at George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge in 2004|left]] [[File:Clarkmemorial.jpg|left|thumb|The bridge as seen from Louisville Waterfront Park in 2006]] thumb|upright|The bridge deck in 2009|left In June 2010, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson announced a new $3 million streetscape improvement project directly underneath the Clark Memorial Bridge, a three-block area from Main Street to River Road, which transformed the area into a plaza. It included a new decorative lighting system under the refurbished Clark Memorial Bridge, wide sidewalks, seats, new pedestrian and festival areas, and extensive plantings, making it an inviting promenade for the recently constructed and neighboring KFC Yum! Center. The project was completed in time for the October 2010 opening of the arena.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.louisvilleky.gov/economicdevelopment/News/2010/TransformationonSecondStreettoTakePlace.htm |title=Second Street Transformation to Occur Near arena |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609174515/http://www.louisvilleky.gov/economicdevelopment/News/2010/TransformationonSecondStreettoTakePlace.htm |archive-date=June 9, 2010 }}</ref> CARMAN provided the landscape architecture and civil engineering services for the 2010 streetscape project.
The bridge was expected to see significant increases in traffic following the completion of the Ohio River Bridges Project near the end of 2016. The project included repurposing the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge, which previously carried I-65 in both directions, for southbound traffic only; building the new Abraham Lincoln Bridge for northbound I-65 traffic; and building the Lewis and Clark Bridge to connect I-265 in the two states. The two I-65 crossings and the I-265 bridge are now tolled to pay for the project. One consultant who worked on a transportation study for the Kentucky government predicted that traffic on the bridge would increase by 25% once tolling on the other bridges started, and the mayor of Jeffersonville expressed concern about the possible effects of increased traffic on the bridge's structural integrity. These concerns were heightened by the discovery of a cracked girder and other structural issues (since repaired) during a routine 2014 inspection.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.wdrb.com/story/33738419/special-assignment-many-fear-un-tolled-bridges-will-wear-quickly-due-to-increased-traffic |title=Many fear un-tolled bridges will wear quickly due to increased traffic |first=Chris |last=Sutter |publisher=WDRB |location=Louisville |date=November 17, 2016 |access-date=November 18, 2016 |archive-date=November 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118163145/http://www.wdrb.com/story/33738419/special-assignment-many-fear-un-tolled-bridges-will-wear-quickly-due-to-increased-traffic |url-status=live }}</ref>
On March 1, 2024, a Sysco semi-truck headed towards Indiana was hit by an oncoming pickup truck, causing the semi driver to immediately lose control just north of the middle pier. The semi hurtled through the west railing of the bridge, leaving the cab hanging perilously over the Ohio River. The semi driver, who suffered minor injuries in the actual collision, was rescued 45 minutes after the crash, which also involved three other vehicles and sent one driver to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Due to the incident, the bridge was partially closed for repairs for more than a month.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/bridge-rescue-clark-memorial-second-street-semi-dangles-sysco-crash-louisville/417-42a68706-f79f-47f8-9c1b-bbe3862bbec4|title=Kentucky transportation officials begin inspections of Clark Memorial Bridge following accident|last=Woods|first=Taylor|date=March 1, 2024|work=WHAS-TV|access-date=March 2, 2024|archive-date=May 3, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240503074752/https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/bridge-rescue-clark-memorial-second-street-semi-dangles-sysco-crash-louisville/417-42a68706-f79f-47f8-9c1b-bbe3862bbec4|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Marina |title=Dashcam footage shows moments leading to Second Street Bridge crash |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2024/05/16/dashcam-footage-shows-specific-details-from-second-street-bridge-crash/73718884007/ |access-date=June 4, 2024 |work=The Courier-Journal |date=May 16, 2024}}</ref> {{-}}
==Culture== thumb|The bridge in twilight in 2025 Locally, the Clark Bridge is known as the Second Street Bridge due to its direct alignment onto Second Street in Louisville. There is a pedestrian sidewalk on each side of the bridge deck. The Clark Bridge was previously the only regional Ohio River bridge open to non-motorized traffic, until the opening of the Indiana side of the nearby Big Four Bridge to pedestrian and bicycle traffic in May 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.louisvilleky.gov/Mayor/News/2011/2-15-11+Fuinds+will+complete+Big+Four+Bridge.htm |title=New Funds Will Complete Big Four Bridge Project |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721050537/http://www.louisvilleky.gov/Mayor/News/2011/2-15-11+Fuinds+will+complete+Big+Four+Bridge.htm |archive-date=July 21, 2011 }}</ref><ref name=WDRB>{{cite news |url=http://www.whas11.com/news/local/Emergency-crews-prep-for-Big-Four-Bridge-opening-183542511.html |title=Emergency crews prep for Big Four Bridge opening |publisher=WDRB |date=December 14, 2012 |access-date=January 21, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121217063926/http://www.whas11.com/news/local/Emergency-crews-prep-for-Big-Four-Bridge-opening-183542511.html |archive-date=December 17, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/indiana/2014/05/20/omg-big-bridge-ramp-open-pm-today/2272980/ |title=Big Four Bridge path now open from Jeff to Louisville |newspaper=The Courier-Journal |date=May 21, 2014 |access-date=May 28, 2014}}</ref>
Since 1991, the bridge has been used as "ground zero" for the annual Thunder Over Louisville event, when a waterfall of fireworks flows along the entire length of the bridge during the fireworks show. This involves traffic being closed for much of the week. This is criticized as it cuts off both the only non-interstate and, prior to the Big Four Bridge reopening, the only pedestrian route between Louisville and southern Indiana, which can impact local businesses such as bicycle couriers.
The bridge is featured in a scene from the 1981 movie ''Stripes'' in which Bill Murray drives his cab to the middle of the span, gets out of the vehicle and then tosses his keys into the river below.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://louisville.about.com/od/communityandneighborhoods/ss/MainStTour_4.htm|title=Second Street to Third Street|access-date=February 22, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120711130644/http://louisville.about.com/od/communityandneighborhoods/ss/MainStTour_4.htm|archive-date=July 11, 2012}}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|Transport|Engineering|Kentucky|Indiana}} * List of crossings of the Ohio River {{Clear}}
==References== {{reflist}} * {{cite book|last=Allgeier|first=M.A.|title=Louisville Municipal Bridge, Pylons, and Administrative Building|year=1983|publisher=Louisville Landmarks Commission|location=Louisville, KY|url={{NRHP url|id=84001578}}}} * {{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Louisville | edition=1 | year=2001 | article=Automobile Bridges}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} * [https://bridgestunnels.com/location/george-rogers-clark-memorial-bridge/ Clark Memorial Bridge] at Bridges and Tunnels * [http://www.louisvilleartdeco.com/architecture/MunicipalBridge/MunicipalBridge.html Municipal Bridge Building and Pylons] at Louisville Art Deco
{{Crossings navbox | structure = Bridges | place = Ohio River | bridge = George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge | bridge signs = 20px | upstream = John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge | upstream signs = '''Southbound''' 20px | downstream = Fourteenth Street Bridge | downstream signs = ''Louisville and Indiana Railroad'' }}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Indiana}}
Category:1929 establishments in Indiana Category:1929 establishments in Kentucky Category:Bridges completed in 1929 Category:Bridges in Clark County, Indiana Clark Category:Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Category:Bridges over the Ohio River Category:Cantilever bridges in the United States Category:Former toll bridges in Indiana Category:Former toll bridges in Kentucky Category:Jeffersonville, Indiana Category:Monuments and memorials in Indiana Category:Monuments and memorials in Kentucky Category:National Register of Historic Places in Clark County, Indiana Category:National Register of Historic Places in Louisville, Kentucky Category:Paul Philippe Cret buildings Category:Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Category:Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Category:U.S. Route 31 Category:Warren truss bridges in the United States