Discovery Bridge (Columbus, Ohio)
Discovery Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 39°57′42.098″N 83°0′18.299″W / 39.96169389°N 83.00508306°WCoordinates: 39°57′42.098″N 83°0′18.299″W / 39.96169389°N 83.00508306°W |
| Carries |  US 40  10, 12 |
| Crosses | Scioto River |
| Locale | Columbus, Ohio |
| Begins | Downtown |
| Ends | Franklinton |
| Official name | Broad Street Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| No. of lanes | 2 eastbound, 2 westbound, 2 bicycle, 2 pedestrian |
| History | |
| Opened | 1816 |
| Rebuilt | 1834, 1883, 1921, 1990 |
| Location | |
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The Discovery Bridge,[1] formerly Broad Street Bridge, is a bridge in Columbus, Ohio, United States, spanning the Scioto River and connecting downtown to Franklinton.[2] The bridge was named in reference to Christopher Columbus's "discovery" of the Americas; the bridge includes artistic bronze medallions featuring symbols of the explorer.[3][4]
History[]
A wooden toll bridge was built in 1816, the first bridge to cross the Scioto River in Columbus. Subsequent bridges were built in 1834 and 1883. Multiple bridges at the site were demolished by Scioto River flooding, including during the Great Flood of 1913 in Columbus.[5] A concrete arch bridge was constructed in 1921 and demolished in 1990, to be replaced with the current bridge.[6]
The bridge was designed with strong columns, intended to hold works of public art. The Greater Columbus Arts Council worked to sponsor artwork there, and two finalists were selected in the mid-1990s. Both were funded to build scale models of their work; the more prominent of the two was by Columbus artist Todd Slaughter. Slaughter's work would have been a massive blue snake made of glass and metal. Its design would mirror the Serpent Mound, a well-known prehistoric mound built by pre-Columbian Native Americans in Ohio.[7]
Gallery[]
Roadbed
Railing
Historical plaque by the bridge
Historical marker denoting all prior bridges
Christopher Columbus's House of Colon coat of arms
Depiction of Columbus's ships Niña, Pinta, and Santa María
Columbus city seal
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Tebben, Gerald (August 21, 2012). "Columbus Mileposts: Aug. 21, 1947: Lightning led bridge to explode, killing one". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ Switzer, John (November 27, 2016). "From the Stump: First Broad Street bridge a wooden marvel". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ "Columbus Mileposts | Aug. 21, 1947: Lightning led bridge to explode, killing one".
- ^ http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/conf/1995/cp7/cp7v1-009.pdf[bare URL]
- ^ "As It Were: Bridges over Scioto have spanned the years".
- ^ "Broad Street Bridge". Ohio National Road Association (in American English). 2015-08-26. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
- ^ "Never Built Columbus: Serpent Mound Canopy". 29 March 2017.
Further reading[]
- Discovery Bridge Ronald K. Mattox, Burgess & Niple, Ltd.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Discovery Bridge (Columbus). |
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. OH-72, "Broad Street Bridge, Spanning Scioto River at U.S. Route 40 (Broad Street), Columbus, Franklin County, OH", 20 photos, 8 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
Crossings of the Scioto River | ||||
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