Discovery Bridge (Columbus, Ohio)


The Discovery Bridge, formerly Broad Street Bridge, is a bridge in Columbus, Ohio, United States, spanning the Scioto River and connecting downtown to Franklinton. The bridge was named in reference to Christopher Columbus's "discovery" of the Americas; the bridge includes artistic bronze medallions featuring symbols of the explorer.

History

A wooden toll bridge was built in 1816, the first bridge to cross the Scioto River in Columbus. Subsequent bridges were built in 1834 and 1883. A concrete arch bridge was constructed in 1921 and demolished in 1990, to be replaced with the current bridge.
The bridge was designed with strong columns, intended to hold works of public art. The Greater Columbus Arts Council worked to sponsor artwork there, and two finalists were selected in the mid-1990s. Both were funded to build scale models of their work; the more prominent of the two was by Columbus artist Todd Slaughter. Slaughter's work would have been a massive blue snake made of glass and metal. Its design would mirror the Serpent Mound, a well-known prehistoric mound built by pre-Columbian Native Americans in Ohio.

Gallery