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The establishment of the Ludlow Lagoon Amusement Park created a large
lake between the Ludlow and Bromley. The lake was created by damming the
Pleasant Run Creek which emptied into the Ohio River. At about this time,
a bridge was built which spanned the creek at Oak Street. This bridge
provided the only connection between the two communities.
In January 1907, the Ohio River crested at 65.2'. High water undermined
the concrete supports of the bridge. Officials banned use of the structure
until repairs could be accomplished. Repair work was finally completed
and the bridge was reopened on October 28, 1907. Bromley had been without
streetcar service for over seven months.
The repair work on the bridge proved only temporary. By 1909, the structure
had again been weakened. Bromley city officials began soliciting funds
from residents to help pay for the construction of a new bridge. This
new steel bridge was completed in 1910. The streetcar company paid for
part of the construction. Bromley residents donated $1,320 to the project.
In 1922, repair work was again necessary. This time, the Cities of Ludlow
and Bromley paid one half of the cost and Kenton County paid the other
half.
The Oak Street Bridge was rebuilt several times since 1922. The last major
rebuild occurred in the 1970s. In 1974, high water had again undermined
the stability of the bridge. Repairs were quickly made. In March 1978
high water again eroded the entire structure. A new concrete bridge was
not completed until 1980.
Kentucky Post, March 10, 1910, June 27, 1910, p. 5, December 1, 1922,
p. 1, May 24, 1999, p. 4k; News Enterprise, March 23, 1978, p. 1. |
