BY GREGORY A. HALL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
![[bridge]](/editions/1998/08/21/bridge_180x136.jpg)
The 126-year-old L&N Bridge as seen from Newport.
(Craig Ruttle photo)
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NEWPORT -- Cincinnati's second-oldest Ohio River bridge -- once destined for demolition -- is closer to becoming part of riverfront development.
CSX Corp., which owns the abandoned railroad portion of the L&N Bridge, is willing to donate the property to Kentucky, Newport or Southbank Partners Inc. (the nonprofit group planning riverfront development in Northern Kentucky). The bridge hasn't seen trains in more than a decade.
The donation could lead to the state converting its automobile portion of the 126-year-old bridge to use by pedestrians.
Plans call for everything from using the bridge as a walkway with shops to making it part of a monorail loop serving Newport, Covington and Cincinnati.
"These are the type projects that come once in a lifetime," said Campbell County Judge-executive Ken Paul.
The bridge would link Cincinnati's Bicentennial Commons at Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove with Newport's planned entertainment district and the city's $40 million aquarium, now under construction. Converting the L&N Bridge to pedestrian use has been talked about for more than a year. But the big question -- funding -- is unresolved.
"The city doesn't have money to do that kind of project," Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli said.
Southbank has coordinated fund-raising efforts for the possible renovation and conversion of the bridge. A combination of federal, state, local and private dollars would be needed, Mr. Guidugli said.
"If you can put them all together, it might work out for us," he said.
The donation of the bridge would remove a major challenge to the effort.
CSX spokeswoman Jane Covington said CSX President and Chief Executive Officer Pete Carpenter and Vice Chairman Gerry Nichols are Kentucky natives. Mr. Carpenter grew up in Ludlow.
"They have a special place in their hearts for Kentucky, so they were happy to do that," Ms. Covington said.
Supporters of the Northern Kentucky venture studied a similar effort in Chattanooga, Tenn., that led to the restoration of that city's historic Walnut Street pedestrian bridge. The 102-year-old structure was refurbished at a cost of about $4.5 million in federal, city and private money and reopened in 1993.
![[bridge]](/editions/1998/08/21/bridge_500x379.jpg)