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Jan 10, 2024

Just Askin': Has the Roebling Suspension Bridge always been blue?

The Enquirer's Just Askin' series aims to answer the questions that no one seems

The Enquirer's Just Askin' series aims to answer the questions that no one seems to have an answer for, not even Google.

To the more than 9,000 commuters who cross the historic John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge either into Covington or Cincinnati's Downtown on a given day, the towering brick arches and swooping suspension cables are familiar. Also familiar is the bridge's iconic color.

Question: Has the Roebling Suspension Bridge always been blue?

Answer: No. The bridge has been painted many colors in its 156-year history, according to the Covington-Cincinnati Suspension Bridge Committee.

The Suspension Bridge was originally painted Spanish Brown − a mixture of ochre and various drying oils − but was repainted blue, black and white during its reconstruction in the 1890s.

The bridge was later painted a green verdigris color, which is similar to the color of copper or brass when it oxidizes (think Statue of Liberty).

There have been suggestions – some better left disregarded – for Suspension Bridge makeovers.

Edward Wimmer, who helmed a business organization based in Covington and later founded the bridge committee, started a campaign in the 1970s to have the bridge painted red, white, and blue for the U.S. Bicentennial celebration. A compromise was reached and as a result, the bridge was painted blue for the first time in the 1980s, according to the committee.

A rehab project in the early '90s again sparked public debate over the bridge's color, with some groups advocating for "Kentucky Blue" or "Wildcat Blue."

Others wanted the bridge painted in a color scheme that paid homage to the Cincinnati Reds or Cincinnati Bengals.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet created a special paint formulation dubbed "Roebling Blue," and it took over 20,000 gallons to coat the bridge in 2010, according to an Enquirer article from November of that year.

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