Discovery Bridge (Columbus, Ohio)

The Discovery Bridge,[1] formerly Broad Street Bridge, is a bridge in Columbus, Ohio, United States, spanning the Scioto River and connecting downtown to Franklinton.[2] The bridge was named in reference to Christopher Columbus's "discovery" of the Americas; the bridge includes artistic bronze medallions featuring symbols of the explorer.[3][4]

Discovery Bridge
Coordinates39°57′42.098″N 83°0′18.299″W
Carries US 40
10, 12
CrossesScioto River
LocaleColumbus, Ohio
BeginsDowntown
EndsFranklinton
Official nameBroad Street Bridge
Characteristics
No. of lanes2 eastbound, 2 westbound, 2 bicycle, 2 pedestrian
History
Opened1816
Rebuilt1834, 1883, 1921, 1990
Location

History
The prior bridge in 1989

A wooden toll bridge was built in 1816, the first bridge to cross the Scioto River in Columbus. Subsequent bridges were built in 1834 and 1883. Multiple bridges at the site were demolished by Scioto River flooding, including during the Great Flood of 1913 in Columbus.[5] A concrete arch bridge was constructed in 1921 and demolished in 1990, to be replaced with the current bridge.[6]

The bridge was designed with strong columns, intended to hold works of public art. The Greater Columbus Arts Council worked to sponsor artwork there, and two finalists were selected in the mid-1990s. Both were funded to build scale models of their work; the more prominent of the two was by Columbus artist Todd Slaughter. Slaughter's work would have been a massive blue snake made of glass and metal. Its design would mirror the Serpent Mound, a well-known prehistoric mound built by pre-Columbian Native Americans in Ohio.[7]

  • Roadbed
  • Railing
  • Historical plaque by the bridge
  • Historical marker denoting all prior bridges
  • Christopher Columbus's House of Colon coat of arms
  • Depiction of Columbus's ships Niña, Pinta, and Santa María
  • Columbus city seal

See also

References
  1. Tebben, Gerald (August 21, 2012). "Columbus Mileposts: Aug. 21, 1947: Lightning led bridge to explode, killing one". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  2. Switzer, John (November 27, 2016). "From the Stump: First Broad Street bridge a wooden marvel". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  3. https://www.dispatch.com/article/20120821/NEWS/308219772
  4. http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/conf/1995/cp7/cp7v1-009.pdf
  5. https://www.thisweeknews.com/story/opinion/columns/2020/10/12/were-bridges-over-scioto-have-spanned-years/5973158002/
  6. "Broad Street Bridge". Ohio National Road Association. 2015-08-26. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
  7. https://www.columbusunderground.com/never-built-columbus-serpent-mound-canopy-bw1

Further reading
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