The tires going over the steel deck sounded like a lost soul moaning.

Never thought I would be watching a POV of someone driving across a bridge I've never heard of.

The fact that the height limit sign has a noticeable dent in it is just the icing on the cake 👌

This video is 100% genuine to the authenticity of how I felt the one-time I drove across this bridge. It is definitely one of the top 10 scariest I've ever been on. Aside from nostalgia and convenience, the bridge offers nothing in the way of safety or feeling secure when passing through.

Sometime between 1987 - 1990, I was travelling from Memphis to Galesburg Illinois. I had only enough money to get to Paducah, so I started walking north from there. I was approaching this brifge by foot, when an RV pulled to the curb. The driver, an old Marine vet, was tired, & figured I could help him drive while he rested, & I would get further along. Thanks to him, I was spared having to cross this on foot, or trying to, anyway. I don't remember how much further he took me past Fort Massac, but he was a decent fellow, & we had goid conversation while he got me closer to my destination.

The " you are not alone" suicide prevention hotline sign is definitely a good shout at the end of that bridge...

i grew up visiting my family in nashville TN and we had to drive from St. louis to get there. one time, my mom got lost in the dead of night and this bridge was on the route the GPS gave us to get back on track. my mom is terrified of bridges and it was dark outside but we had to keep driving so she went over this bridge thinking it was a normal bridge and she instantly regretted it. she had to grip the steering wheel as hard as she could to keep control of the car. the creaking and groaning of the steel is even more terrifying at night when you can’t see if the bridge is falling apart or not.

I grew up right next to a steel deck bridge, but it was much shorter than this one. Most people were scared to cross it on foot, but I was used to it. It only got weird when a section of the grate broke loose and fell in the creek below. It left a hole big enough to drop a tire through. We had to call the local fire department out to do an emergency welding job to put it back in place. Eventually the bridge was replaced with a concrete deck bridge. I still have a piece of the grate as a souvenir.

I went across this bridge in thick fog! Heart sat in my throat the entire time! I was SO glad when I got off!

I’ve driven over the Brookport bridge many times. I have lived near it my whole life, 61+ years. It is very unnerving to drive across it. You feel like your car is on ice skates. When it turns cold enough for ice to start building up on the steel grating I would suggest taking the I24 bridge. It’s scary enough when it’s dry. They will usually close the bridge if ice starts building up on it.

I've driven this bridge more than once and hate it intensely. It is so terrifying. Once, I got to that corner only to find a semi, going too fast, and taking up both lanes, coming right at me. He took up the entire roadway because he was going too fast for the corner. To this day, I have no idea how we got safely past it. It's all a big blur. But somehow, we made it past the semi and off the bridge. Had to have been angels

If you want scary, try crossing the Ambassador Bridge between Detroid MI and Windsor ON. During busy times, you will be sitting in a slow moving line atop the bridge. Which is full of heavy trucks. When you are still you can feel the bridge moving from all of the truck traffic, and there are holes in the concrete with the massive drop to the water you can see through. Did it in a truck almost every week for a few years.

CORRECTION: Thank you for all your kind comments regarding my family’s ties to this bridge. My grandfather and his brothers were ironworkers on many jobs in the area and my Grandfather was an ironworker for the Army Corps of Engineers during WWII. The correction is this: My Grandfather fell from this bridge (NOT his brother) and Grandpa broke his back. My Great-Uncle (Grandpa’s brother) fell while working on the Atomic plant in Paducah, Ky in 1951. I’m not a ‘spring chicken anymore myself and sometimes the oral stories get confused. But as stated previously, I grew up in this area and have crossed this bridge more times than I can count…and it sounds just like the video and is exactly as others have commented. Rest in peace, Gr-Uncle Joe and my dear sweet Grandpa.

I live nearby. When I first moved to the area, I was a sales trainer for a local food distribution company. I rented a 13-passenger van and took a group of sales people north into central Illinois to tour a Kraft manufacturing plant. A local sales person said it would be quicker if we crossed the Brookport Bridge. I'd never seen the bridge, so agreed to the plan. I am afraid of heights and a bit afraid of bridges. This bridge, with that large unfamiliar van, terrified me. When we got to the end and came to the sharp curve, I couldn't budge my foot off the accelerator and onto the brakes! A couple of folks on one side of the van swore they could count the rivets in the side of the railing because we got so close to the side! I've been across the bridge several times since then, but not as a driver. You definitely get a side-to-side motion of your tires due to the grooves in the steel road bed. No way to prevent that via steering, you just have to go with it. You could not pay me to ride a motorcycle across it!

I've driven across the Brookport Bridge hundreds of times over the years. It's always an adrenalin rush. I moved from the area over 30 years ago, but every time I reminisce about Paducah, I think of this bridge.

I’m born and raised in southern WV, bordering eastern KY and southern OH.. We used to have quite a few of these steel road bridges in the area. When I was a kid, we called them “singing bridges” because of the sound they make. I also remember when I first got my drivers license how tough it was to navigate those steel roads, especially if it was raining. I never understood why anyone would think using steel grates would be ideal for vehicle use on a bridge.. 🙄

I'd imagine the narrowness and the noise from the steel grating actually cause drivers to slow down. Often the perception of danger actually makes something safer as it reduces complacency and makes drivers take more care. The final turn at the end though, I can see that causing scrapes (albeit low speed ones).

This was filmed on a bright clear day. I can't imagine driving over this bridge at night with oncoming headlights. Nor could I imagine driving over this bridge during rain and snow storms.

I always loved the sound of steel grate bridges. We used to have several of them where I grew up. I don’t think ours was as narrow as this one.

Most of us old folks grew up crossing bridges like this. In the town I lived in we had 3 of them, of various types. Eventually all 3 were torn down and replaced. Thanks for the memory.

We had a few of these steel deck bridges in Minneapolis when I was a kid. Advantages: The snow would often filter through which eliminated a lot of plowing. Invented in "horse & buggy days" it allowed the manure to fall through to the river below so easy cleanup. Early narrow-tired vehicles such as the Model T could cross with little trouble (I own one and have tried it) but as tires became wider vehicles tended to "dance" side-to-side and you had to correct for this while steering.

Id like to see a live commentary motorcycle crossing of that thing.

Just dont let a boat hit it

There was a similar bridge in Charleston, South Carolina-the old Grace Memorial Bridge over the Cooper River. Completed in 1929, its span was 250 feet high. It was pretty scary to drive on at first, especially at night, but not bad once you got used to it. The bridge initially had traffic in both directions, but in the ‘60s a new bridge was built alongside it, and traffic was changed so that both lanes were in the same direction.

I cycled across this bridge in May 2017. There were a few holes in it that were small enough that a car would have been ok hitting them but it would have absolutely wrecked my bike. I was definitely a man of prayer going over that bridge that day. Never been so glad to get back to a regular road.

Crossing that bridge at night listening to the moening that comes from the steel under your tires. Sounds like the highway to hell crossing the River Styx. 🥺😬

What they don't tell you is that Illinois has never looked at their portion of the bridge, neglecting it for nearly 100 years. The more you know!

Being able to see through a bridge's deck to the water below is the cause of extreme psychological discomfort. That used to be the state of affairs on the bike lane of the Queensboro Bridge (also called the 59th Street Bridge) in New York City. Fortunately, that roadbed is now paved. But, for the period of time during which it consisted of see-through grating, the ride over that bridge was terrifying.

Imagine being afraid of bridges, and not knowing that this was part of the "shortcut" to your brother's house.

Great video - almost captures the real experience - but unless you can feel your tires being pulled to the left and to the right by the steel grate surface - it can't do the real thing justice. I drove my business Box Truck (think Ryder Truck) across this bridge when the 1-24 bridge was backed up 2 hours deep. Oh... my.... It would have been fine without any oncoming traffic - but since 24 was shut down - it was FULL of oncoming traffic. Tightest butt clench I'd ever had while driving a vehicle. Avoid this bridge if you can. It's a loud, vibrating, breath-holding experience to say the least.

That bridge may be scary, but I love rivers; they are so calming to me. Anyway, Here are some other bridges for your consideration; The Eugene Talmadge Bridge over the Savannah River in Georgia, The Walt Whitman Bridge over the Delaware River in Philadelphia, The commodore Barry Bridge over the Delaware River, the Royal Gorge Bridge over the Arkansas River in Canon City, Colorado..and The Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay in Florida. Check them out !!! They always creeped me out. 😮

About 15 years ago I was riding my road bike with narrow tires on Inter-provincial (Alexandra ) bridge that had steel decking. There was a tailwind and I was doing 50 km/h or about 30 mph. I could see the river way below, it was pretty freaky but fun. I always like the sound when you drive over these type of bridges.

It's amazing this big steel bridge that is nearly 100 years old is still being use with that large traffic volume of cars and trucks. Current vehicles traffic produces much more energy on the road/bridge structure than 1920s vehicles. Amazing well designed steel bridge for its time!

From the start, I was impressed that you'd found the perfect industrial-noisecore soundtrack with tones that seemed to evoke the slippery metallic droning of an unsettling white-knuckle terror-drive across an endless steel-decked bridge...but HELL, that's just the sound of the frickin' bridge itself!

Scary! Reminds me of the Mackinac Bridge, between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan. It’s 5 miles of clacking racket but at least it’s 4 lanes, two lanes on each side.

Illinois had many steel deck bridges when I was young. I got conditioned to expect them. So 42 years ago when I first drove the Brookport bridge, it was fun due to length. Last journey on it was 20 years ago. Don't remember wheels wandering on steel decks until the car we had in 2011. Before then, the wheel base or tire materials probably did not interact as much with the deck. Peoria use to have a short, treacherous steel deck draw bridge with an extremely nasty, tight dog leg. It was important to try to look around the large operator's tower to see if a school bus or longer truck was oncoming. If so, then give way. It was impossible pass through the dog leg at the same time. This Franklin Street bridge had many accidents every month. It also had a fascinating corruption history during its building. The river traffic and vehicle traffic abhored it. Gone. Not missed. Not forgotten as a terrible bridge. But, it was fun to take a sandwich and watch river or road traffic or both struggle while eating lunch.

This video has a spooky tone to it, congrats to the editor, i really enjoyed the way it builds the tension up, the inicial info with the sound effects, all very good.

Can't imagine what it must be like driving on it at night.

I was down in Metropolis back in66. Traveled over a bridge at night to Paducha for a wedding reception. This must have been it. Later I24 came thru my friends farm and they built the I24 bridge . If someone is afraid to drive the Brookport bridge just us the I24 bridge....Also, .40 miles up the Mississippi is the Chester IL bridge, featured in the movie , In the Heat of the Night filmed in Sparta IL..

I'd take that bridge in a skinny minute! Reminds me of the Market Street bridge between Steubenville, OH, and WV. I loved going on that suspension bridge. It was loud and swayed and the Ohio River could be seen below the grid! There was a traffic signal on the WV side, so if you hit the red, you sat on the bridge until it turned green. The bridge bounced with every car entering and passing yours. It was great! But, I knew people who refused to go on it for those reasons!

I lived in Paducah for a short time. One night when I was new in town I was bored driving around and accidentally ended up driving over this bridge. The surface of the bridge, in addition to being noisy when driving over, grips onto your tires in a strange way and makes your car veer strongly left and right at random. Since it was night, I couldn't see how long the bridge was and it felt like I was on it in hell forever. Then I ended up in that small little Illinois town and had to turn around and drive right back over! It was less scary the second time, but I never drove that way again. Lol at the guy 3:19 just walking up the narrow shoulder inches from cars with no shirt on. Makes me miss my kentucky days.

I crossed a bridge with steel decking like this in South Florida on my motorcycle in the pouring rain. I am now a 75 y\o lady. That was 40 years ago. I put 10k miles on my bike that year. That remains one of the scariest experiences of my life.

That dude who stated that he was a motorcycle though. Can you imagine wheels wobbling, the hum sounding like thousands of bees chasing you, the see-through steel rack underneath you which offers a haunting view of the Ohio River- deep-muddy-careless, the gut tightening bump that makes you call on God, drivers coming towards you that may or may not have your best interest at heart, but either way will stop to witness you vanish beneath the Ohio River as the splash you created quickly fades back into the river.....now, multiply that with that final descend.

When I was a kid, my dad and mom sometimes crossed the K & I bridge between New Albany Indiana and Louisville Kentucky. It was a railroad bridge with steel grate automobile decks attached on each side. We called it the singing bridge.

Visitor from another state: "OK, I wasn't scared until I saw the suicide warning sign."

So we gonna act like we didn't see that man walking !?!

Crossed this bridge many times while a student at Murray State University back in the early 80's. It is a bit creepy to see the Ohio River through the steel deck but I usually had little trouble getting across it.

We have a small one lane steel grate bridge in town. It was changed into a bike path, and another bridge was built to bypass the old route. The sensation of steel grate bridges is very unnerving if you've never experienced it; especially if it is raining.

It actually sounds like the faint noise at the Indy 500 when you live central Indianapolis. You’re not close to the Raceway but you’re not too far to not hear the cars zoom around the track.

Add about four and a half miles to the length, an additional lane on each side and 20 miles an hour to the speed limit and you've got the Mackinac bridge. Same creepy steel grating.

I'm from a metropolis illinois. A small town right past brookport. We used to take this bridge on a regular basis because metropolis doesn't have a Walmart. Most Of the stores we shopped at was in Paducah Kentucky. But if you were coming from the brookport side going over to the Paducah Kentucky side. The curve at the bottom of the bridge is called Dead Man's curve. A lot of people have died speeding around that curve.

I live in Paducah and been across this thing many many times. Yes it pulls your vehicle into oncoming traffic, it's very sketchy.

I live in southern IL and I have crossed this bridge many times over the years. I never knew there was a suicide hotline, so ironic that that is posted near one of the most dangerous bridges in the US. Just a few years ago a NEARLY IDENTICAL BRIDGE that was about the same size and age as this bridge collapsed maybe 50 miles away in Southeast Missouri .

I grew up near Brookport and drove this bridge several times a week. The steel grates will shift your car left to right but the key is to hold firm and trust not easy to do for sure. I even rode my bike over it a couple times. Now that really is scary. There are many many cars in the area with some blue "stripes" from that bridge. But my grandmother drove across it her whole life until about 85. And she was driving a '71 Chevy caprice. Now that is scary.

i grew up on the delaware river, north of philadelphia. with the exception of I-95 and the Route 1 bridge, every single bridge is like this. i'm talking a dozen of them. everyone had stories of close calls, but no one i knew had the anxiety talked about in this video. at least the video kept me until 4 minutes in, when it finally showed me the bridge. well done. i hope you get your ad money.

Yeah, I’ve driven over this bridge several times in the last 2 years or so. It’s nerve racking and there is a feeling of relief existing it on the other side.

Looking at the title, I'm thinking "how bad can it really be?" Then I focused on the double yellow lines and the hood of your vehicle. Now I get it.

I’d be driving slow as a turtle going across this tight bridge…holding the steering wheel with both hands,radio off,complete silence and praying the entire time. The sound alone gives me chills. Ohh hell naw!

BRO, AS YOU WERE APPROACHING THE BRIDGE IT'S TRANSPORTED ME BACK TO WHEN I WAS WATCHING A SCARY MOVIE IN THE THEATER BACK IN THE DAYS, VERY INTENSE. GREAT JOB.

Well thanks for the ride, now ill make sure to go another way .

It's an unnerving experience just watching this video. I applaud everyone who traverses this bridge daily. I think that I would suffer heart failure driving over there. In fact, even the thought of it gives me goosebumps!

I've never been so glad to see the end of a bridge in my life, and I was only on it virtually through your video. I'd never be able to cross that thing. Nope.

I grew up in southern Illinois and as a kid drove over this bridge until the interstate 24 bridge was built. I never liked it and was always terrified. For as many years I can remember this was the only way to get to Paducah, KY.

The Pedestrian walking at 03:21 is (Beyond) Brave.

I can only imagine all the tailgating that goes on on this bridge every single day. 25 mph means 35 or 40 miles an hour to a lot of people out there. That would only make this experience more scary.

We have metal bridges in PA. When my kids were small, we told them it was a singing bridge. My son sang “itsy bitsy spider” every time. It was so cute.

We used to have a bridge similar to this in Huntsville Alabama, only not nearly as long. My father would scare us and tell us the noise was a Troll screaming, “get off my bridge, get off my bridge”. Even as an adult that’s all that I imagined every time driving over the bridge…

Grew up in north suburbs of St. Louis. US 67 had a similar bridge across the Missouri River, but it had a sharp curve in the middle of the bridge! Local high schools Drivers Education classes had students drive on that bridge!

I’ve driven over this bridge several times, and it freaks me out every time. I’m not from the area, so I didn’t know it was a such a legendary bridge. It makes you feel like you are losing control of your vehicle, even while driving slow and steady. It’s quite unnerving.

That one person’s advice: “TAKE THE I-24 BRIDGE UNLESS YOU ARE BRAVE” has got me dead 😂😂

Thanks for your sharing

Like a roller coaster 😮 the rattling 😮

It must be a nightmare in winter. Thank you for the nerve racking ride!

It is frightening! For some reason, watching this brought back my memories of driving across the Tacoma Narrows bridge, 30+ years ago. Thanks for sharing.

Very well put together video. The lack of dub overs was the creepiest icing on this cake.

Im positive I've crossed that bridge at least several times when i was a kid. I enjoyed your ride, thanks. Memories.

This gives the question "Are we there yet?" a completely different meaning.

The original Sunshine Skyway in St Pete Florida was built exactly like this bridge. It collapsed after a ship hit the main support pillar during a very bad storm. The Greyhound bus went off the bridge and killed many. So I can relate to how this bridge "feels" and "sounds". God rest the souls that have been lost due to these bridge designs.

Back in the 60s & 70s we would travel across several of these bridges going to and returning from high school sporting events. Once lost our rear view mirrors from an oncoming tractor trailer rig!

That bridges humming surface sure brings back memories for sure Burlington ,IA.

In the mid sixties I crossed it in a fifty Chevy pickup loaded with scaffolding and boards , front end pointed skyward . Got across and was very thankful, will never forget that ride

It's always amazed me that us as humans built cars that could go 80mph and still have only a yellow line and 2 feet dividing oncoming lanes. What a world we live in

Fantastic video! I love it. I'm a NHI/NBIS Certified Bridge Inspection Team Leader. Almost 40 years and still going. Inspected bridges like this but not quite a long. Problem with this kind of structure is that there is NOWHERE to stand and so your inspection work due to the narrow geometry. Gotta climb the trusses to do the work! Very Cool!!!

I grew up in PA and we had a bridge similar to this going across the Allegheny River between PA and NY. I remember one night going across it in a blizzard and sliding into the guard rails from one side to the other. Luckily we made it across without going over the side, but I don’t think I ever crossed it again without remembering that night.

Thanks for showing this bridge off so I can add it to the list of bridges that I’m absolutely terrified of

This is the bridge that 30 years ago started my anxiety about bridges. I was traveling very late at night, with very very few other cars on the road, and I saw this bridge off to my left thinking wow that's an old bridge I bet it's not in use anymore. And before I knew it I was actually on that bridge. It is the maximum scariest bridge I've ever experienced.

Reminds me of the old St. Charles, MO bridge across the Missouri river or the old Chain of Rocks bridge ...use to terrify my wife.....she would look down and see pieces of the concrete missing....I loved it.

I remember a bridge similar to that in Oregon. My cousin and I would take the pedestrian crossing under the bridge. You could see under and above you. I thought it was cool. I have never seen nor heard of this bridge. Thanks for the tour fellow KZfaqr. Cheers.

Imagine driving on it during a thunderstorm at night

I was 21 in 1975 and moving from Fort Leonard Wood to Fort Bragg with my wife, son and personal belongings loaded in a 6x12 trailer when we encountered this monster at 2am in the fog! Needless to say we didn't get sleepy for quite some time after getting of it.

This bridge seems like a roller-coaster ride. And I love roller-coasters

I recently drove over this bridge like 4 times while traveling in the last month, I am so glad I’m not the only one who thought it was terrifying, and coming across this video was wild 😂

"If you visit the bridge..." lol I'm good. You're virtual tour was enough for me.

In Montréal, we also have a steel deck bridge : The Victoria bridge. The differences : Both directions are two lanes, are separated by a railway, is completely straight AND is at a constant elevation. Also, all the lanes are wider. Almost 50% wider. It was MADE to allow trucks to cross the St. Lawrence River.

I have driven over this bridge many times and each time I thought was going to die. The worst trip I crossed was in a snowstorm, the bridge was iced and snow packed and the police had not shut it down yet. Scared doesn't even begin to describe how I felt. And to think how my mother used to drive a huge station wagon pulling a camper across this nightmare is beyond me! I wasn't born yet, my older siblings had the pleasure of making this trip at least once a year to Kentucky Lake.

I have taken this bridge once, while passing through the area. It was the middle of the night and fortunately, I had the entire bridge to myself. I don't think I could drive past an oncoming car on that bridge, especially at night. Narrow bridges freak me out. The steel grating doesn't bother me anymore, I have driven over those kinds of bridges several times, but the narrowness always gets me.

3:21 I’ve watched this video a few times because I’ve been trying to figure out where this person is walking to. I do not see a path for pedestrians to walk across the bridge once you get to the section where the actual bridge (blue bridge) is. This is my first time seeing this bridge, nor have I driven across it before. I’m sure I could manage it if I drove the speed limit or less until I got used to it, but a pedestrian would definitely throw everything off for me… that’d be the main reason I’d crash because id be surprised that someone is actually walking across the bridge knowing they’d have to walk in the street getting in the path of drivers as if the bridge wasn’t narrow enough already

Neat bridge! It's longer than I expected 😃👍

Well done video!!

An interesting drive love the blue, better than the dark finishes on many bridges