Portland Canal at Conrail (L&amp;I) Bridge:.
<p>"Mark E. Stevens" (doc. # 528629) upbound.
</p><p>This view is looking NE from the Kentucky pier of the lift span, which was built in 1918
during the rebuilding of the Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge (aka 14th St. Bridge),
replacing the old swing span here (see a picture at <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=22724.0">this forum post</a> - scroll down).
The lift span weighs 2.6 million lbs. and is 260 feet long between centers of end bearings, though horizontal clearance for river traffic is only 241.5 feet. 
Vertical clearance at pool stage is 38.8 feet when lowered and 69.8 feet when raised.
When built, the lift span extended  across the full width of the canal, but when the canal was
widened to 500 feet in 1961 (at the time of construction of the first 1200-foot lock at McAlpine),
the northeast pier was left in the middle of the canal, so cells were built to protect it.
For more info on the rebuilding of the Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge, see
<i>Engineering News-Record</i>, Vol. 82, No. 21 (May 22, 1919), pp. 1007-1011, and
Vol. 82, No. 22 (May 29, 1919), pp. 1061-1064.
For more info on the original iron bridge at this location, built in 1870, see
<i>Engineering News</i>, Vol. 77, No. 6 (Feb. 8, 1917), pp. 217-222.
Some years ago, these bound periodicals could be read, but not checked out, at the main branch
of the <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.lfpl.org/index.htm">Louisville Free Public Library</a> (phone 502-574-1611).
</p><p>Ohio River mile 605.
Louisville, Kentucky.
29-Nov-1998.
File # 98k102.
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Kodak PMC (Pro 400 MC), 6x9 cm.
</p>
Epson V500 scanner; Vuescan software.
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/70020260@N04">William Alden</a> from Louisville, Kentucky, USA
CC BY-SA 2.0
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bill_alden/6561547397/">98k102_8mp: Mark E. Stevens</a>