Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Ohio's Tallest Bridge

Photo by OHventures

With over 43,000 bridges, Ohio is second only to Texas in states with the highest number of bridges. That's a pretty remarkable factoid! I recently had the opportunity to visit the tallest bridge of those 43,000 in all of Ohio. That bridge is the Jeremiah Morrow Bridge located on Interstate 71 in Lebanon, Warren County. It reaches heights of 239 feet - that's taller than the Magnum roller coaster at Cedar Point - and spans 2,300 feet across the Little Miami River below.

The Jeremiah Morrow Bridge (named after Ohio's 9th Governor) was erected in the 1960s and is a truss style bridge that has two lanes northbound and two lanes southbound. In 2010, a groundbreaking event took place to begin work on the erection of a brand new bridge to replace the current infrastructure. This project, likely to be completed in 2014, will make the bridge three lanes in each direction and also add shoulders to the road. It is a road project of great magnitude and will surely improve the aesthetics, safety, and function of our roadways in Ohio.

Stopping on the bridge is prohibited, so if you were looking to pull over to snap some pictures for your Bucket List, do NOT do so! Getting pictures of the bridge requires a bit more tact. The best way to do it is to hop on a canoe or kayak and take pictures from the Little Miami River as you float by (examples of this are here). The best way to do this is to rent from Little Miami Canoe and make your way
 down the river!

Through my work, I had the opportunity to get very rare and unique photos of the bridge. I was escorted to the bottom of the bridge by the project manager of the construction site. From there, I trekked up dozens of flights of metal stairs to the top of a pillar that is being assembled for the new bridge. This was both thrilling and scary at the same time! I will never forget this unique view I had of The Jeremiah Bridge and will always remember where I stood when driving over the new bridge!

Be sure to check out this mammoth structure that serves as a functional landmark in Ohio. You'll be amazed that such a bridge exists in our state!





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