Thousands of Kentuckians and Hoosiers streamed onto the new Abraham Lincoln Bridge Saturday (12/05) to share a once-in-a-lifetime experience, walking the massive cable-stay bridge before it opens to traffic next week.
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Indiana Governor Mike Pence, joined by local, state and federal leaders, cut the ribbon to open the six-lane, 2,100-foot-long bridge to a crowd of excited citizens.
Nearly 100 leaders were among the first to officially cross the bridge in a caravan that included Kentucky-made vehicles and a TARC bus.
It was Governor Beshear and former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels who ended decades of debate and forged a solution to build two new bridges across the Ohio River.
The Abraham Lincoln Bridge, an improved John F. Kennedy Bridge and reconstructed interchanges in downtown Louisville and Jeffersonville are just part of the $2.3 billion Bridges Project. The investment includes the East End Crossing, a new bridge between Utica, Indiana, and Prospect, Kentucky, which will complete a long-sought cross-river connection to improve transportation and spur economic development in the region.
Thousands of visitors received a keepsake medallion to mark the historic event. The silver medallion includes a rendering of the new bridge and hangs from a red, white and blue ribbon.
Photo and “selfie” stations across the bridge encouraged walkers to snap pictures of themselves on the bridge and share on social media, tagged #walkthebridge.
Many people completed the mile-long loop, walking from the base of the Jeffersonville ramp to the bridge’s southern end at the Kentucky shore and back.
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