NEWPORT � Purple � the color of Easter eggs, one-eyed, one-horned flying people-eaters and now, the L&N Bridge.
A quarter of the bridge that links Newport and Cincinnati is coming alive with a fresh coat of paint, and city officials say feedback so far is positive.
�I haven't heard one person that doesn't like it,� said Newport City Commissioner Jan Knepshield.
Newport City Manager Phil Ciafardini said the city decided on purple because it is unique and will attract attention.
�It's kind of a nice soft, yet unusual color,� he said. The city hopes the new pedestrian-only bridge � a former railroad bridge � will link entertainment venues on both sides of the river when it is complete by the end of December.
Mr. Knepshield foresees the bridge being used for walking, in-line skating, bicycling and even weddings. There will also be benches for people to sit and look over the river.
The state is funding the $4 million needed to paint the bridge and make other repairs, including lights, railings and security cameras. Mr. Ciafardini said the cameras will tie into Newport on the Levee's camera system.
He said the cameras are intended to instill an extra sense of security in people.
The bridge was closed to traffic because of its narrowness and the reconfiguration of Cincinnati's streets.
NEWPORT � Pedestrians will be using the L&N Bridge to walk between entertainment venues in Newport and Cincinnati by next summer, if a plan outlined by city officials Monday night falls into place.
Newport city commissioners unanimously approved a resolution Monday paving the way to assume control, and ultimately ownership, of the 129-year-old historic bridge and convert it to pedestrian-only traffic.
State Rep. Jim Callahan, D-Wilder, who worked to obtain $4 million from the Kentucky General Assembly for the bridge project, told commissioners that passage of the resolution was necessary to unlock the state funds.
City Manager Phil Ciafardini said the first step in renovating the state-owned bridge and opening it to the public will be a structural study.
According to Southbank Partners' project schedule, the city would assume ownership of the bridge in a year or less once a contract with the state is final.
�The plan is to form a new entity, a regional bridge commission comprised of the city and Southbank Partners, which would then own and maintain the bridge,� Mr. Ciafardini said.
Southbank Partners president Wally Pagan said the structural study must be completed first, at a cost of about $250,000, to make certain the bridge does not need major repair work.
�The $4 million (in state funds) can be used to renovate the bridge, or it can be used to demolish it if that is necessary,� he said. �We believe the bridge is in pretty good condition, but we must have the structural study as an insurance policy so the public knows the bridge is safe.�
A study by the University of Cincinnati, commissioned by Southbank, estimates that 597,000 people would use the pedestrian L&N Bridge in the first year, and that each person would spend an average of $64 shopping in Newport. Mr. Callahan said the state originally planned to demolish the bridge �because the state had no use for it. The four-lane Taylor-Southgate Bridge, which replaced the old Central Bridge, was considered by the state as providing adequate traffic flow between Newport and Cincinnati.�
Mr. Pagan said an initial budget of $6.3 million was proposed, but a revised budget is being considered because there is $4.15 million available now to finance the work.
�With the prioritized budget, we would hold off on a special sound system and road resurfacing for the time being to complete the project and be able to open the bridge by July of 2002,� he said.
The bridge, which will have direct access to the planned Newport on the Levee entertainment complex, also would link the Cincinnati riverfront with the Newport Aquarium and a new 3-D IMAX theater along Third Street, as well as restaurants along Riverboat Row.
NEWPORT � The L&N Bridge between Newport and Cincinnati was officially closed Thursday, and when it reopens in about a year it will be a pedestrian-only bridge that officials hope will be a catalyst linking entertainment venues on both sides of the river.
Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken and Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton tied a ceremonial knot in a large yellow ribbon to mark the closing on the Cincinnati side, and the governor performed a similar function on the Kentucky side with Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli.
Some 300 people, including a number of local politicians and business leaders, walked across the bridge from Cincinnati to Newport for both ribbon ceremonies. Although Cincinnati City Manager John Shirey made the trek from Cincinnati, Mayor Luken returned to city hall.
Southbank Partners, a non-profit organization that promotes development and growth along the Kentucky side of the Ohio River, and the city of Newport will use $4 million in state funds to make any needed repairs in the bridge, rebuild the roadway to a pedestrian walk, install new lighting and paint the bridge's rusty steel beams.
Mr. Shirey praised Southbank and Newport for �sticking to it, to be able to salvage this bridge and make this a reality for all of us.�
�Maybe we'll get some of the spillover from the success of Newport on the Levee,� Mr. Shirey said of the entertainment complex that recently opened alongside the L&N Bridge. �This represents a partnership, a linkage. We should do more things like this and not appear to be in competition on the two sides of the river.�
Gov. Patton emphasized that �it was this community that made this happen. It was the efforts of many civic and business leaders working together.� He said the L&N Bridge project can be one more way to enlarge the continuing development in the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati community.
�We have bridges that link the two sides of the river commercially,� he said. �But thanks to the union of the people of this community, this bridge will unite people on a much more personal basis. This bridge is well over 100 years old, and it will have another 100 years of uniting the two sides.�
When the bridge is reopened next year, officials hope to be able to use it for a variety of events that will attract people from both sides of the river. In Chattanooga, a wine tasting to benefit a charity this summer drew some 20,000 people to the Walnut Street Bridge.
To conclude the ceremonies, the governor and other dignitaries were invited to apply a few brush strokes of paint to a one of the bridge girders. The paint was a bright purple which Mr. Pagan and others hinted was the desired color for the bridge when it is repainted. He called it �Patton Purple.'