The Ohio River flows beneath the K&I Bridge on Wednesday afternoon. Officials on both sides of the river support reopening the bridge to the public, but Norfolk Southern, the transportation company that owns the bridge, is keeping it limited to railway traffic due to liability issues. Staff photo by Christopher Fryer
At a glance
Greenway Commission to meet
• The June meeting of the Ohio River Greenway Commission is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at the Clark-Floyd Counties Convention and Tourism Bureau, 315 Southern Indiana Ave., Jeffersonville. Call 812-280-8079 or visit ohiorivergreenway.org for more information.
About the K&I
• Opened in 1886
• featured a rotating swing span, which allowed the bridge to rotate for the passage of ships in high water. The bridge, however, was opened only four times, twice for testing in 1913 and 1915, and again Jan. 18, 1916 for the passage of Tarascon and for the Australian convict ship Success on March 28, 1920.
• It was not until the opening of the Second Street Municipal Bridge in 1929, did Louisville and Southern Indiana have a second automobile crossing over the Ohio River.
• The Sherman Minton Bridge opening in 1969 drastically affected the K&I. The vehicle per year count dropped from 75,000 to 17,000 in one year, and as a result, the toll collector positions were eliminated. The span tried to work off of an honor system of collection, although that experiment proved to not be viable.
• In 1979, a dump truck caused a small segment of an automobile lane to sag about one-foot. The bridge operators promised a quick fix to reopen the roadway, but the lanes were instead abandoned and closed.
Source: Greenway Commission to meet
• The June meeting of the Ohio River Greenway Commission is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at the Clark-Floyd Counties Convention and Tourism Bureau, 315 Southern Indiana Ave., Jeffersonville. Call 812-280-8079 or visit ohiorivergreenway.org for more information.
About the K&I
• Opened in 1886
• featured a rotating swing span, which allowed the bridge to rotate for the passage of ships in high water. The bridge, however, was opened only four times, twice for testing in 1913 and 1915, and again Jan. 18, 1916 for the passage of Tarascon and for the Australian convict ship Success on March 28, 1920.
• It was not until the opening of the Second Street Municipal Bridge in 1929, did Louisville and Southern Indiana have a second automobile crossing over the Ohio River.
• The Sherman Minton Bridge opening in 1969 drastically affected the K&I. The vehicle per year count dropped from 75,000 to 17,000 in one year, and as a result, the toll collector positions were eliminated. The span tried to work off of an honor system of collection, although that experiment proved to not be viable.
• In 1979, a dump truck caused a small segment of an automobile lane to sag about one-foot. The bridge operators promised a quick fix to reopen the roadway, but the lanes were instead abandoned and closed.
Source: Bridgestunnels.com
NEW ALBANY — Louisville and New Albany officials need to continue to rally support for opening the K&I Bridge to pedestrians so that the issue remains on the front burner of public interest, Ohio River Greenway Project Director Shaunna Graf said this week.
But while public officials for both communities have expressed support for allowing pedestrians on the bridge — which is owned by Norfolk Southern and only used for trains — there’s not much optimism that the span will be open to the public anytime soon.
Indiana State Sen. Ron Grooms is expected to back a measure in the General Assembly that would amend state code regarding immunity for property owners who allow land to be used for recreational purposes.
The amendment would allow Indiana to match Kentucky’s laws and “provide clearer protection for the railroad,” said Pat Leist-Stumler, treasurer of the Ohio River Greenway Commission.
Leist-Stumler and Graf presented the New Albany City Council with an update on the Greenway Monday.
With the next span of the path, which will stretch from East 9th Street to East 18th Street, nearing a construction date, Graf said the piece of the puzzle that’s missing is the K&I Bridge.
Not only would opening the span to pedestrians boost the Ohio River Greenway, but it would allow the completion of the 13-mile Kentuckiana River Trail, she continued.
The K&I Bridge connects to the Louisville neighborhood of Portland. The K&I Bridge is not included in the Congressional boundaries of the Ohio River Greenway.
But with the Big Four Pedestrian Bridge open and busy in Jeffersonville, New Albany will simply fail to garner all the benefits of the Greenway without the K&I, Councilman Dan Coffey said.
The council approved a resolution last year supporting the opening of the K&I Bridge, and Louisville has taken similar nonbinding steps.
But without local or state authority to order Norfolk Southern to open the bridge, Coffey said it could take a decade to put enough public pressure on the railroad company to allow pedestrians on the K&I.
“They’re not going to say yes unless they’re forced to,” he said.
Coffey added having the K&I open within five years would be expedient, but he’s not confident that will happen.
New Albany must be ready to aid in the process, but Louisville ultimately will have more sway when it comes to applying public pressure, Councilman John Gonder said.
“They are the big dog in this fight,” he said.
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