Young's High Bridge
Photos
Overview
The Young's High Bridge is in the works of being refurbished into a pedestrian bridge. To date, the bridge has remained the same since 1888. The bridge is 283' high.
Photo taken by James McCray
Description
Young's High Bridge was purchased in February 2013 for $105,000 by Young's Bridge Partners LLC, according to a deed filed in Anderson County.Mitchell Morris of Springfield is listed as the organizer and member of Young's Bridge Partners. Contacted Sunday, Morris said he was general manager of Vertigo Bungee, a 23-year-old company that does base-jumping events across the country and around the world.
The last passenger train crossed the bridge in 1937, and most freight traffic was gone by the 1970s. The last diesel engine crossed the bridge in 1985.
Ten years ago, a nonprofit charitable organization called Tyrone Bridge and Rail Co. tried to raise money to preserve the bridge. But that group dissolved in 2011, according to the website for the Kentucky secretary of state.
Norfolk Southern Railway Co. donated the bridge to Young's High Bridge Historical Society LLC in July 2008, according to a deed filed in Anderson County.
Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/02/24/2530028/old-kentucky-river-railroad-bridge.html
Facts
- Overview
- Cantilevered deck truss bridge over Kentucky River on former Louisville Southern Railroad
- Location
- Tyrone, Anderson County, Kentucky, and Woodford County, Kentucky
- Status
- Closed to all traffic
- Future prospects
- Plans are for bridge to be rehabilitated and retrofitted for pedestrian use and bungee jumping.
- History
- Built 1889, closed to traffic in November 1985
- Builders
- - Detroit Bridge & Iron Works of Detroit, Michigan (Fabrication)
- Hopkins & Co. (Substructure)
- Union Bridge Co. (Superstructure)
- Design
- Cantilevered pin-connected Pratt deck truss
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 551.0 ft.
Total length: 1,659.0 ft.
- Recognition
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Also called
- Tyrone Bridge
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +38.04030, -84.84576 (decimal degrees)
38°02'25" N, 84°50'45" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 16/689043/4212476 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Tyrone
- Inventory number
- BH 36662 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- February 25, 2013: Updated by Alexander D. Mitchell IV: Update status: sold to private owners for bungee jumping business
- September 16, 2012: Updated by Luke Harden: Added chief engineer
- December 12, 2010: New Street View added by Jacob P. Bernard
- April 12, 2010: New Street View added by Nathan Holth
- July 29, 2008: Updated by James McCray: updated gps coordinates
- June 3, 2008: Added by James McCray
Sources
- James McCray - jamesinslocomb [at] yahoo [dot] com
- Essay by Tim Powell
- Nathan Holth
- Jacob P. Bernard - jacob_bernard [at] yahoo [dot] com
- Luke Harden - lukemh9 [at] gmail [dot] com
- Alexander D. Mitchell IV
Comments
Vertigo Bungee has announced plans to conduct jumps in May 2013. they are quaoted as saying that they are planning on hosting jumping four to ten weeks a year and potentially be open to sightseers. This according to an article in the May 2013 "Trains" magazine.
Interesting note: This bridge was 8 foot taller than Kentucky High Bridge when it was built. When Kentucky High Bridge was rebuilt in 1911 it was raised 33 feet to 308 feet high to take the crown back.
Looks like a good tourist spot as the Wild Turkey distillery is right next to the west side of the bridge.
This is really interesting web site. Glad they plan to preserve this bridge for future use as a pedestrian bridge and not tear it down.
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/ky/anderson/bh36662/