The Daniel Carter Beard Bridge (also known colloquially as the Big Mac Bridge), is a twin span steel tied arch bridge

Tied arch bridge

A tied-arch bridge is an arch bridge in which the outward-directed horizontal forces of the arch, or top chord, are borne as tension by the bottom chord , rather than by the ground or the bridge foundations...

 crossing the Ohio River

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 in Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

. It carries Interstate 471

Interstate 471

Interstate 471 is a long United States Interstate Highway, linking Interstate 71 in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio to Interstate 275 in Highland Heights, Kentucky. South of I-275, the expressway continues south to U.S...

 between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Newport, Kentucky

Newport, Kentucky

Newport is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers. The population was 15,273 at the 2010 census. Historically, it was one of four county seats of Campbell County. Newport is part of the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio Metro Area which...

. As to the origin of this nickname, its yellow arches are similar to the "Golden Arches

Golden Arches

The Golden Arches are the symbol of McDonald's, the global fast-food hamburger chain. Originally, real arches were part of the restaurant design...

" logo of McDonald's

McDonald's

McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...

 restaurant. The nickname was coined by local residents after the bridge's golden arches were constructed. McDonald's considered opening a restaurant at the base after the nickname caught on, but never went to construction. This bridge has a main span of 750 feet and has a total span of 2100 feet. It is named in honor of Daniel Carter Beard

Daniel Carter Beard

Daniel Carter "Uncle Dan" Beard was an American illustrator, author, youth leader, and social reformer who founded the Sons of Daniel Boone in 1905, which Beard later merged with the Boy Scouts of America .-Early life:...

, the founder of the Sons of Daniel Boone

Sons of Daniel Boone

The Sons of Daniel Boone was a youth program developed by Daniel Carter Beard in 1905 based on the American Frontiersman. When Dan Beard joined the Boy Scouts of America in 1910 as one of their National Scout Commissioners, he merged his group into the fledgling BSA.Boys were organized into "Forts"...

 and one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America

Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...

.

The bridge was originally designed by Hazelet + Erdal, now URS Corporation.

The bridge was originally configured with 3 lanes and an emergency shoulder on each span. In December 2000, with the completion of a reconstruction project on the 3rd Street Viaduct approach, the bridge was reconfigured to 4 lanes on each span.

External links

• Daniel Carter Beard Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels
• Daniel Carter Beard Bridge at Cincinnati Transit