April 13, 20187 yr I wouldn't be surprised to see her out there repainting the letter. "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
February 13Feb 13 Is the Purple People Bridge's future at risk? City says it's out of money to maintain it By James Pilcher – WKRC-TV Feb 13, 2025 The city of Newport is grappling with financial challenges as it seeks to maintain the historic Purple People Bridge, a pedestrian- and cyclist-only bridge that spans the Ohio River. Originally a railroad bridge opened in 1872, it was converted in the early 2000s using $4 million in state funds initially earmarked for its demolition, along with additional contributions from the development firm Southbank. However, city leaders learned at the Newport City Commission's annual strategic planning meeting that these funds have been exhausted, and significant expenses are looming, reports Business Courier news partner WKRC-TV Local 12. Newport currently helps pay $9,000 monthly using privately donated funds to rent support shorings on one of the bridge's trusses. That part of the structure requires $400,000 in permanent repairs after shedding stones last May, leading to a prolonged closure of the bridge. MORE
February 13Feb 13 30 minutes ago, The_Cincinnati_Kid said: Is the Purple People Bridge's future at risk? City says it's out of money to maintain it By James Pilcher – WKRC-TV Feb 13, 2025 The city of Newport is grappling with financial challenges as it seeks to maintain the historic Purple People Bridge, a pedestrian- and cyclist-only bridge that spans the Ohio River. Originally a railroad bridge opened in 1872, it was converted in the early 2000s using $4 million in state funds initially earmarked for its demolition, along with additional contributions from the development firm Southbank. However, city leaders learned at the Newport City Commission's annual strategic planning meeting that these funds have been exhausted, and significant expenses are looming, reports Business Courier news partner WKRC-TV Local 12. Newport currently helps pay $9,000 monthly using privately donated funds to rent support shorings on one of the bridge's trusses. That part of the structure requires $400,000 in permanent repairs after shedding stones last May, leading to a prolonged closure of the bridge. MORE Newport should sell the bridge to Hamilton County for $1 and use the Transit Infrastructure fund to stabilize it.
February 13Feb 13 They definitely should TRY* to sell it to the Ohio side but if your Cincy I’m not so sure it makes sense to take on the responsibility/liability. If for instance the bridge was demolished it would certainly hurt Newport on the Levee etc more than The Banks/Downtown. I think the public would hate to see it go tho, Some kind of partnership/sponsorship is going to be the outcome. Selling naming rights needs to be looked at for sure. Edited February 13Feb 13 by 646empire
February 13Feb 13 It's still a huge asset for the citizens and city of Cincinnati as the only pedestrian bridge downtown. With the railroad slush fund it would be an extremely bad look if the city didn't take it over if Newport tried to give it away.
February 13Feb 13 44 minutes ago, Cincy513 said: It's still a huge asset for the citizens and city of Cincinnati as the only pedestrian bridge downtown. With the railroad slush fund it would be an extremely bad look if the city didn't take it over if Newport tried to give it away. I don’t think it would a bad look. A bad look is for the city to add a massive pedestrian bridge to the city’s responsibilities while it’s already so behind on other basics such as street repairs etc. No way no how should Cincy just take on the bridge even if Newport would just give it away. As a matter a fact I’m sure they would Loveeee to just hand it over and get out of repairs and liability. But they also know Cincy is unlikely to do it any way so the best bet for them is some kind of help partnership. The slush fund is to help fund existing public assets that are in disrepair not to add new ones. Newport/Ky need to lead this. Edited February 13Feb 13 by 646empire
February 13Feb 13 2 hours ago, 646empire said: Selling naming rights needs to be looked at for sure. That's an easy call right there.
February 13Feb 13 Weren't they supposed to build a Hard Rock Hotel ON the bridge a couple of years ago? "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 14Feb 14 4 hours ago, thomasbw said: Let's at least get this thing- AI hallucinations before AI hallucinations were a thing.
February 14Feb 14 5 hours ago, thomasbw said: Let's at least get this thing- gonna eat that guy with the purse.
February 15Feb 15 A few weeks ago a 2,000+ foot strand of sloppily-hung purple christmas lights were lit across the top profile of the west side of the bridge. I noticed tonight that they're not on anymore.
February 20Feb 20 Newport mayor vows to keep Purple People Bridge, help likely needed from Cincinnati Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli committed to keeping the Purple People Bridge open no matter the challenges in his first interview since concerns over the fund that maintains the bridge surfaced. In a Feb. 19 interview with Business Courier media partner WKRC-TV Local 12, Guidugli said that while it would be difficult and that the city needs more partners to make it happen, the pedestrian-only bridge is indispensable to the region. He noted the city took over the bridge from the state in the early 2000s and has kept it up since then. "It was something that was never done before and never done by a city of our size," Guidugli said. "So, there was a risk in that, and it's been 20-something years, which is pretty impressive that we're at this point today. And (we) have done been stewards of an incredible asset. But in the end, we have to have the support of the community at large to make this more sustainable and, frankly, more incredible." More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/02/20/newport-purple-people-bridge-future-needs-funding.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 21Feb 21 They mention a similar bridge in KC, but what about down the river in Louisville with the Big Four bridge? Also the article says its the longest pedestrian bridge in the united states, but again a quick measurement on Google shows that Big Four is much longer. That bridge is also in Kentucky, owned mostly by the Kentucky side city but connecting to another state, so isn't that a better comparison to see how to make this work?
March 28Mar 28 On May 31, the Inaugural Spring Soirée will take place on the Purple People Bridge. Sounds like it's a fundraiser to help eventually repaint/restore the bridge. Individual tickets are $150. Based on the info, there will be food, live music, and horse-drawn carriage rides. Here's a link to the event info and tickets. This is from part of their post on Instagram and Facebook: "Since November 8th, 2005, the Purple People Bridge over water and land in Newport has been privately owned by the ever-mysterious Purple People Bridge Company. But fear not, gentle followers, they seek to preserve it. With promises of restoration and whispers of a return to that bold, proud purple hue of old, they invite all to their inaugural Spring Soirée. A fundraiser, they call it, with every ticket sold bringing us one step closer to a future as vibrant as the bridge’s storied past."
May 27May 27 Bridge management has oddly painted the inside trusses of the west side of the bridge the original purple color up to about a 10-foot height. They're trying to remind people that they're on a "purple" bridge but only had a $2,000 budget:
May 28May 28 Just some random drone footage I shot for another project where you can get a perspective of the condition of the paint that you normally don't see. PPB.mp4
Create an account or sign in to comment