The draw span is across the upstream end of the Louisville and Portland Canal, which includes the McAlpine Locks and Dam.

There were attempts to build a bridge to link Louisville to the Indiana shore as early as the 1830s.

A cornerstone was laid for the bridge in 1836 by Twelfth Street in Louisville, but the Panic of 1837 stopped further construction.

This failure, plus the unsuccessful attempt to woo the capital of Kentucky to Louisville, would become known as "Guthrie's Folly".

Stone for the bridge's piers came from Bardstown Junction, Kentucky and Utica, Indiana.

At the time it was built, it was the longest iron bridge in the United States, with its 27 spans covering a total mile.

The bridge marks the eastern boundary of Falls of the Ohio State Park.