News Item #499

The Shortway Bridge was demolished with explosives on the morning of Monday August 25. The new Licking River Girl Scout Bridge was closed during the implosion, and the Licking River was closed to river traffic for 24 hours so pieces of the bridge could be removed from the river. Steel from the bridge was collected for recycling.

Bridge implosion: Photographs from the Cincinnati Enquirer , Video from WCPO 

The bridge, which connected 11th Street in Newport with 12th Street in Covington, opened in 1914 and was originally a toll road. The state purchased the bridge in 1986. It has been closed since 2001 when it was replaced by the Licking River Girl Scout Bridge.

More information: Cincinnati Enquirer: Shortway Bridge soon to be shorter (Aug. 22, 2003) . Kentucky Post: Bridge to close for Monday blast (Aug. 22, 2003) , Associated Press: Shortway Bridge to be imploded (Aug. 23, 2003) , Cincinnati Enquirer: 'Short' story to end Monday (Aug. 24, 2003) , Cincinnati Enquirer: Rush hour detours for bridge implosion (Aug. 25, 2003) , Cincinnati Enquirer: So long, Shortway: Bridge takes dive into river history (Aug. 26, 2003) , Kentucky Post: Picking up the pieces of the Shortway (Aug. 26, 2003)