Lincoln Trail Bridge

Bob Cummings Lincoln Trail Bridge
View from Hawesville, Kentucky
Coordinates	37°54′12″N 86°44′38″W
Carries	2 lanes of SR 237 / KY 69
Crosses	Ohio River
Locale	Cannelton, Indiana and Hawesville, Kentucky
Official name	Bob Cummings Lincoln Trail Bridge
Maintained by	Indiana Department of Transportation
Characteristics
Design	Through arch bridge with suspended deck
Total length	2,708.3 feet (825.5 m)
Width	27.8 feet (8.5 m)
Longest span	824.6 feet (251.3 m)
History
Opened	1966
Location

The Bob Cummings Lincoln Trail Bridge crosses the Ohio River and connects the towns of Cannelton, Indiana and Hawesville, Kentucky. Indiana State Road 237 becomes Kentucky Route 69 upon entering Hawesville.

Construction began in June 1964 and the bridge opened on December 21, 1966. The steel arch bridge with its suspended deck was a toll facility until the state of Indiana lifted the tolls in the 1990s.

Bob Cummings, for whom the bridge was named on November 17, 1974, was the editor of the Cannelton News and a booster of Cannelton in general until his death on July 25, 1971.

New connections

To the north, the bridge connects to a rerouted five-mile stretch of Indiana 237, which now by-passes Cannelton and dramatically cuts the time of travel to Indiana 37, which is the primary link to Interstate 64 for both Perry County as well as Hancock County, Kentucky.

In Hawesville, Kentucky 69 takes a sharp westward turn into the downtown area before reaching a traffic signal at the junction of Kentucky 3101. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is studying a direct route for Kentucky 69 that would eliminate the sharp turns and steep hill leading from the downtown area to U.S. Highway 60, which connects Hawesville to the city of Owensboro and, to the east, the Fort Knox area.

Further reading

• Lincoln Trail Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels