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State giving away Rockcastle County bridge and will pay to cart it away
Lexington Herald-Leader
February 01, 2007
Thanks to a limited-time offer from the state of Kentucky, you -- yes, you -- could have your very own bridge.
Not the Brooklyn Bridge perhaps, but a real bridge, steeped in real history, built in century old style by skilled workers, and ideal for lending style and grace to your park, farm or country estate. And it's yours just for the taking.
Sort of.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet wants to give away the historic Ky. 490 bridge over the Rockcastle River on the Rockcastle-Laurel County line. The bridge is to be replaced by a new span and torn down next year unless a new owner is found. Officials are inviting proposals from groups or individuals interested in acquiring the two-lane steel span, and March 28 is the filing deadline, says Sandy Rudder, a Department of Highways spokeswoman in Manchester.
If you're selected, the state will pay for disassembling the bridge and moving it to new a site you designate. You must agree to rebuild the bridge at your own expense, maintain it for at least 20 years, make it available for the public to visit, and post a surety bond.
Admittedly, this is a fixer-upper. The bridge, built in 1922, is under a three-ton weight limit and has some rust damage. Most of the paint has peeled off, and rebuilding costs could be steep.
But transportation officials say the old span could fill the bill for a city or county that needs a walking or bicycling bridge for a park, or for a landowner who wants a unique crossing for a stream or private driveway. Otherwise, the bridge goes on the scrap heap.
Chris Day definitely doesn't want that to happen.
'I grew up around this bridge,' he said, 'and my family's been involved with it practically since it was built.'
Day, 48, who lives about two miles away on Parker's Creek in Laurel County, says his great-grandfather operated a ferry across the Rockcastle River here before the bridge was built. His grandfather cut stone for the bridge approaches during construction. As boys, Day and his cousin, Doug Robinson, used to stage dare-devil foot races across the top of the bridge, climbing to the steel framework 10 feet or more above the bridge deck, running along the horizontal beams that extend the length of the span, then scrambling down the other side. Sometimes, they'd crawl across the riveted beams that run under the bridge.
'We were just kids,' Day said, recalling the risks they took.
Now Day would like to acquire the bridge and place it over Parker's Creek to provide access to a new home he's building. But he fears it might be too big for his needs, and that the cost might be prohibitive.
According to highway officials, about half a dozen people have expressed interest in the bridge, but no one has filed a formal proposal yet.
The final decision on which applicant gets the bridge will be up to the Kentucky State Historic Preservation Office, because the span has been declared eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. It is significant as an example of a Pennsylvania Petit Truss bridge, a type developed in the 1800s. Also, U.S. 25 followed the route of Ky. 490 back in the days of the Model T, so the old bridge once was a key point on one of the nation's main north-south arteries.
Finding a new owner, however, might not be easy. The state periodically tries to give away old bridges, but often no takers are found. In 2005, officials tried to give away the old Woodland Park Bridge at Hazard, but no one came forward. The Woodland Park Bridge remains in use, but eventually will be torn down to make way for a new span.
Copyright © 2007 Lexington Herald-Leader, All Rights Reserved.
Lexington Herald-Leader
February 01, 2007
Thanks to a limited-time offer from the state of Kentucky, you -- yes, you -- could have your very own bridge.
Not the Brooklyn Bridge perhaps, but a real bridge, steeped in real history, built in century old style by skilled workers, and ideal for lending style and grace to your park, farm or country estate. And it's yours just for the taking.
Sort of.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet wants to give away the historic Ky. 490 bridge over the Rockcastle River on the Rockcastle-Laurel County line. The bridge is to be replaced by a new span and torn down next year unless a new owner is found. Officials are inviting proposals from groups or individuals interested in acquiring the two-lane steel span, and March 28 is the filing deadline, says Sandy Rudder, a Department of Highways spokeswoman in Manchester.
If you're selected, the state will pay for disassembling the bridge and moving it to new a site you designate. You must agree to rebuild the bridge at your own expense, maintain it for at least 20 years, make it available for the public to visit, and post a surety bond.
Admittedly, this is a fixer-upper. The bridge, built in 1922, is under a three-ton weight limit and has some rust damage. Most of the paint has peeled off, and rebuilding costs could be steep.
But transportation officials say the old span could fill the bill for a city or county that needs a walking or bicycling bridge for a park, or for a landowner who wants a unique crossing for a stream or private driveway. Otherwise, the bridge goes on the scrap heap.
Chris Day definitely doesn't want that to happen.
'I grew up around this bridge,' he said, 'and my family's been involved with it practically since it was built.'
Day, 48, who lives about two miles away on Parker's Creek in Laurel County, says his great-grandfather operated a ferry across the Rockcastle River here before the bridge was built. His grandfather cut stone for the bridge approaches during construction. As boys, Day and his cousin, Doug Robinson, used to stage dare-devil foot races across the top of the bridge, climbing to the steel framework 10 feet or more above the bridge deck, running along the horizontal beams that extend the length of the span, then scrambling down the other side. Sometimes, they'd crawl across the riveted beams that run under the bridge.
'We were just kids,' Day said, recalling the risks they took.
Now Day would like to acquire the bridge and place it over Parker's Creek to provide access to a new home he's building. But he fears it might be too big for his needs, and that the cost might be prohibitive.
According to highway officials, about half a dozen people have expressed interest in the bridge, but no one has filed a formal proposal yet.
The final decision on which applicant gets the bridge will be up to the Kentucky State Historic Preservation Office, because the span has been declared eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. It is significant as an example of a Pennsylvania Petit Truss bridge, a type developed in the 1800s. Also, U.S. 25 followed the route of Ky. 490 back in the days of the Model T, so the old bridge once was a key point on one of the nation's main north-south arteries.
Finding a new owner, however, might not be easy. The state periodically tries to give away old bridges, but often no takers are found. In 2005, officials tried to give away the old Woodland Park Bridge at Hazard, but no one came forward. The Woodland Park Bridge remains in use, but eventually will be torn down to make way for a new span.
Copyright © 2007 Lexington Herald-Leader, All Rights Reserved.
