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The Bi-State Vietnam Gold Star Twin Bridges, usually referred to as simply The Twin Bridges, connect Henderson, Kentucky and Evansville, Indiana along U.S. 41, one mile (1.6 km) south of the (temporary) southern terminus terminus of I-69. The bridges carry nearly 40,000 vehicles a day across the Ohio River. The northbound bridge opened to traffic on July 4, 1932 and the southbound bridge opened in December 1966.〔 〕 Both of the Bi-State Vietnam Gold Star Bridges are cantilever bridges. The northbound bridge stands over the Ohio River with a main span of , with the steel gridwork extending above the driving surface.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 publisher=A&E Television Networks ) 〕 The southbound span has a main span of .〔 An unusual fact about the Bridges is that they are entirely within Kentucky. Although the Ohio River forms most of the border between Kentucky and Indiana, the state border is based on the course of the river as it existed when Kentucky became a state in 1792. Due to the New Madrid earthquake of 1812, the river changed course to the south, leaving the land where the Bridges cross the river within the Kentucky border. ==History== The northbound span of the Bi-State Vietnam Gold Star Bridges was the second of three bridges built in Henderson County in 1932, a building novelty during the Great Depression. It was originally named the John James Audubon Bridge, or Audubon Memorial Bridge, after John James Audubon, who lived in Henderson in the 1810s.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 publisher=Commonwealth of Kentucky )〕 It was built by notable bridge designer Ralph Modjeski. The long cantilever bridge cost $2.4 million to build, with the federal government paying half, with the states of Kentucky and Indiana paying the remainder. The dedication ceremony featured Kentucky governor Ruby Laffoon and Indiana governor Harry G. Leslie shaking hands with one another, as 22 military planes under the command of Jimmy Doolittle flew overhead with cannon fire and boat whistles in the distance celebrating the occasion. A flotilla of boats passed under the bridge, taking forty minutes to do so and a two-mile (3 km) parade lasting two hours also celebrated the occasion. More than 100,000 visitors attended the celebration and 111,091 vehicles crossed the bridge in its first two days of operation, creating delays of up to two hours to go from Henderson to Evansville. With the influx of tourists using US-41 to cross the Ohio River, the city of Henderson decided to take advantage of the bridge by establishing John James Audubon State Park in 1936. Originally, crossing the bridge required paying a toll, usually 30 to 35 cents for cars, and a nickel for pedestrians. The toll was removed on March 20, 1941.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bi-State Vietnam Gold Star Bridges」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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