Inside back cover photo in the 2013 calendar

[Stew Winstandley]

In advancing my 2013 MRHTS calendar to December, I also looked at the color photo below January 2014.  The text says there's no date for this photo.  It was taken in the winter time and there is a crane on the W. Lafayette side on the bridge left of top center.  I assume that is the US52 (Pete Rose Way in downtown Cincinnati) bridge.  Was it under construction at the time of the photo?  And if so, what years would that have been?

Stew

[Ron Marquardt]

Good eye Stew.  We didn't have a date on file, but perhaps we can now date it from something in the photo.  Thanks for the observation.  / Ron

[Stew Winstandley]

I tried doing some searching for information about US52 over the Wabash, and I got a hit on the eastbound bridge that was built in 1936:
http://bridgehunter.com/in/tippecanoe/19010/
Inspection (as of 08/2011)Deck condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Appraisal: Structurally deficient
 Sufficiency rating: 48.8 (out of 100)

Obviously the westbound bridge is the one in the photo with the crane.  I couldn't find anything about its construction.

Stew

[Stew Winstandley]

Now that I've used a magnifying glass on the photo, obviously I don't know which bridge the crane is on.

Stew

[Vern Sargent]

I finally found my 2013 calendar. The river bridges are out of the picture to the left. The westbound span was built in 1969 & 1970. It was the first highway job I worked on out of high school. The rest of the 2-lane part of the 52 by-pass was 4-laned over the next 2 to 3 years. I believe the old Russel F. Davis Co. of Lafayette built the portion over the Monon.