CINCINNATI'S MILL CREEK AREA
May 2007
PART 2
Our bippin' good time with the Ludlow Viaduct continues. Here we're continuing north. This span bears a striking resemblance to the 11th/12th Street bridge that connects Covington and Newport, KY. The only big difference is that the Ludlow Viaduct has that fence. The right-wing practice of discouraging pedestrians by having a sidewalk on only one side despite having extra-wide roadway lanes is seen both here and on the 11th/12th span.
Remember that bright yellow bridge on Millcreek Road over Mill Creek? You can see it here! I think I took this photo from Dreman Avenue right where it bumps up against the creek. I don't know how I ended up there, because the end of Dreman curves around into a loop ramp to I-74. This is also one of few recent photos of a local waterway in which it isn't flooded by the heavy rains.
Get ready for my Big Bird imitation! It's...Beekman Street! (BEAKman! Get it? Get it? Get it? Get it?) Beekman generally parallels Mill Creek, but right here it goes up a hill a little bit. I think this is looking up Beekman from Carll Street. This stretch of Beekman is so steep that it has steps instead of a sidewalk.
We're approaching a perennial favorite Roads Scholaring site: the endangered Waldvogel Viaduct. People keep wanting to see more pictures of that structure, and I always oblige. But you really have to be there in person to appreciate it. Its viaducty coolness is heightened by the fact that much of it runs directly over River Road, which carries US 50. Here we're at the bottom of Burns Street, looking at River Road, with the viaduct hovering above it.
I'm sure I've taken pictures of this same site from a different angle, but the public wanted more! This is looking west (away from downtown) under the Waldvogel Viaduct. River Road is straight ahead, while English Street branches off to the right under the viaduct. As you can see, one of the columns of the viaduct is in the centerline of River Road (just to the left of the red car). It's not easy to see here, but this column features a blinking yellow warning light (which is maybe 8 feet above the ground).
Looking east towards downtown on River Road under the viaduct. The highlight here is the rail line. You can see the rail line going under the viaduct, which is just about where the rail line itself uses the secret bridge over Mill Creek. The secret bridge carries both the railroad and a crumbling roadway, and had been the subject of other photo sets here in 2004 and 2006.
Finally, the answer you've been waiting for! First off, you can see River Road ramping up to merge with the Waldvogel Viaduct. The structure on the left side of the picture is the staircase that connects the viaduct with Evans Street. But the narrow road straight ahead under one side of the viaduct is the main feature here. Officially this is part of 6th Street. I've long suspected that this went to the secret bridge, but I could never go back there far enough to find out. But this time, I didn't see anyone around to stop me, so my trusty bike and I braved this isolated road! I actually saw some guy biking on the road in the other direction, so I was almost sure then that the secret bridge was accessible from here.
Sure enough, it is! The street wound its way onto the bridge, and I emerged on Mehring Way on the other side of Mill Creek!
As Casey Kasem would say: So there ya have it! Cincinnati has a bridge hardly anyone knows about but is usable (with extreme caution) by almost any reasonably sized personal road vehicle.