Brookport Bridge

The Brookport Bridge (officially the Irvin S. Cobb Bridge) is a ten-span, steel deck (grate), narrow two-lane truss bridge that carries U.S. Route 45 (US 45) across the Ohio River in the U.S. states of Illinois and Kentucky. It connects Paducah, Kentucky, north to Brookport, Illinois.[2]

Brookport Bridge
The bridge in 2022
Coordinates	37.11465°N 88.62915°W / 37.11465; -88.62915
Carries	2 lanes of US 45
Crosses	Ohio River
Locale	Paducah, KY and Brookport, IL
Official name	Irvin S. Cobb Bridge
Maintained by	Kentucky Transportation Cabinet[1]
Characteristics
Design	Truss bridge
Total length	5,385.8 ft (1,641.6 m)
Width	19.7 ft (6.0 m)
Longest span	711.0 ft (216.7 m)
Load limit	15 short tons (13,607.8 kg)
Clearance above	9 ft 6 in (2.9 m)
History
Construction end	1929
Location

The bridge is named after Irvin S. Cobb, an author and journalist who was born in Paducah. The bridge was originally built by a private company and operated as a toll bridge. The state of Kentucky subsequently purchased the bridge from its builders.

The bridge is notoriously difficult to cross, due to its very narrow lanes and steel grate deck. It is restricted to vehicles less than 8 feet (2.4 m) in width and 9 feet 6 inches (2.90 m) in height, preventing most commercial vehicles from using the bridge. The nearby Interstate 24 Bridge can be used instead.[3]