High Bridge of Kentucky
High Bridge | |
|---|---|
An aerial view of the High Bridge | |
| Coordinates | 37°49′00″N 84°43′12″W / 37.8168°N 84.7200°W |
| Carries | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Crosses | Kentucky River |
| Locale | Jessamine & Mercer Counties, Kentucky, United States |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Truss |
| Total length | 1,125 feet (343 m) |
| Height | 275 feet (84 m) (or 308 ft.) |
| History | |
| Designer | Charles Shaler Smith (1876) Gustav Lindenthal (1911) |
| Opened | 1877 |
| Location | |
The High Bridge is a railroad bridge crossing the Kentucky River Palisades, in Kentucky. The bridge, about 275 feet over the river below, connects Jessamine and Mercer counties. It was formally dedicated in 1879, and is the first cantilever bridge built in the United States. It has a three-span continuous under-deck truss, which is used by Norfolk Southern Railway to carry trains between Lexington and Danville. The High Bridge is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.