THE PURPLE PEOPLE BRIDGE CONNECTING PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES FOR OVER 150 YEARS | NEWPORT, KENTUCKY NEWPORT & CINCINNATI BRIDGE EST. 1872 | LOUISVILLE & NASHVILLE BRIDGE EST. 1904 | CINCINNATI, OHIO NEWPORT SOUTHBANK BRIDGE EST. 2003 | PURPLE PEOPLE BRIDGE EST. 2022

After a $4 million restoration, the former L&N Railroad Bridge between Newport and Cincinnati became a pedestrian walkway in 2006. Over the years the official name of the bridge has changed from the “Newport & Cincinnati Bridge” in 1872, “L&N Bridge” in 1904, “Newport Southbank Bridge” in 2003, and as of 2022 the “Purple People Bridge “the longest connector of its kind in the country that links two states.

The bridge — it’s 2,670 feet, or just over a half a mile long — has been redesigned to provide an easy way for people to move between the two states. It links the riverfronts of Ohio and Kentucky in a seamless collection of entertainment, dining, nightlife, festivals, parks, attractions and more that brings hundreds of thousands to the river’s edge.

REGIONALISM

The Purple People Bridge marks the first time in Greater Cincinnati’s modern history that a span is dedicated exclusively to pedestrian traffic. It brings two of the Tristate’s most important geographic areas — downtown Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky’s river cities — even closer together.
The bridge has become a tourism attraction that is part of a marketing campaign used by our regional tourism entities: meetNKY and VisitCincy.

Most convention groups and leisure visitors would love to be in two places at once and we have helped to make that a reality by creating a state-border line on the bridge.
The bridge helps connect people who live in Ohio and Kentucky and makes it easy for walkers, runners, and bikers to visit attractions, restaurants, and friends on both sides of the river. Nothing else like it exists in this area. It’s what regionalism is all about.

CONNECTIVITY

  • Watch the Reds or Bengals at Great American Ball Park and Paul Brown Stadium.
  • Grab dinner at a range of restaurants, such as the Montgomery Inn Boathouse in Cincinnati or the German-themed Hofbrauhaus in Newport.
  • Shop and eat at Newport on the Levee, peruse the shops along Bellevue’s Fairfield Avenue business district, or get some of the best fresh food at Cincinnati’s historic Findlay Market, a short streetcar ride from the bridge.
  • Have a picnic at Cincinnati’s Bicentennial Commons at Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove or in one of the riverfront parks in Northern Kentucky’s river
    cities.
  • Catch a concert at the Heritage Bank Arena or a movie at the 20-screen cinema at Newport on the Levee.
  • Tour the Newport Aquarium or the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

BACKGROUND

The Kentucky Legislature agreed to spend $4 million in 2001 to restore and paint the span, which was jointly controlled by the state and CSX Railroad. CSX donated its portion of the bridge to Southbank Partners, whereas Kentucky Transportation Cabinet transferred its ownership to the City of Newport. The City and Southbank Partners shortly thereafter created a separate non-profit corporation, The Purple People Bridge Company, formerly the Newport Southbank Bridge Co., and transferred ownership and management of the bridge including its surface-level maintenance. The Bridge Company currently leases the Cincinnati approach (bridge span from Pete Rose Way to the bridge gates) from the City of Cincinnati. The company’s board members include members of Southbank Partners and members from the City of Newport and other community leaders.