What is now know as the "Purple People Bridge," spanning the Ohin River from Cincinnati, OH to Newport KY has a long and impressive history. Beginning as the L&N (Railroad) Bridge on April 1, 1872 as the Newport and Cincinnati Bridge. It was Cincinnati's first railroad bridge spanning the Ohio River. Over the next 35 years it was retrofitted to handle streetcars and automobile traffic. In 1904 it was renamed as the L&N (Louisville & Nashville) railroad bridge. In 2001 its use was suspended, until 2003 when it was reopened as a pedestrian-only bridge named the Newport Southbank Bridge. It now serves as a walking thoroughfare between Cincinnati's riverfront and Newport's "Newport on the Levee." (g)