Let's begin with what may be a new vocabulary word for you--gephyrophobia (jeff-EYE-roh-fo-bee-uh). It is the fear of bridges. And I know many who deal with varying degrees of it.

From those who sit eerily still and focus on the road in front of them to those who dive into backseats and throw something over their heads, I've seen--or at least--heard it all. I may have even experienced a little of it myself when we crossed THIS bridge that spans the Ohio River between Paducah and Brookport IL.

A Haunted Kentucky Bridge

That metal grate--there's no pavement--tends to move your vehicle around from side to side, which is not something you want to experience while driving on a bridge. Additionally, the eerie sound your tires make on that surface sounds a bit ghostly.

Honestly, I've BEEN on what is believed to be a haunted bridge and felt much less anxiety than when I was on the Brookport Bridge.

Does a Ghost Push Cars Across This Old Kentucky Bridge?

Actually, I felt no anxiety at all when I drove across the Old Richardsville Road Bridge in Bowling Green that has a terrifying legend attached to it. From more than a decade ago, my first adventure on a "haunted" bridge:

I kind of blew through the description of the legend as we were preparing for the assist from the ghost that a haunts this bridge. Southernspiritguide.org relates multiple tragic versions of this legend:

At some point in the bridge’s early history a young, unmarried woman found herself pregnant. Unable to face the shame and scorn that society heaped upon innocents gone astray like herself, she leapt from the bridge to drown in the waters below. Other versions of the story include the woman jumping as she fled an attack, or driving off the bridge either accidentally or purposefully. The legend continues that if one drives onto the bridge, puts the car in neutral and turns it off, the car will be pushed towards the opposite end.

This creepy old legend is resurfacing because the bridge reopened in late 2021 after being closed for three years due to structural deficiencies likely related to its age. That's led to renewed investigations by amateur paranormal investigators like these guys:

Is This Old Bowling Green Bridge Haunted...or Is It Just Physics? It's Hard to Tell

Of course, there are detractors who say that there must be some kind of incline--even a tiny one--that would cause a vehicle to drift across the bridge while in neutral. Certainly such an incline could be imperceptible to the naked eye.

On the other hand, what could possibly back up the presence of an ghost is that it doesn't happen all the time...emphasis on "COULD." If you put your vehicle in neutral and it moves, is it because of the slightest of inclines, or is it because of an otherworldly push? And if the vehicle doesn't move, is it like the guys say in that video...that maybe she's not here at the moment?

Your belief in ghosts and things that go bump in the night--or on a bridge--will dictate whether or not you buy into any of this. Of course it will.

My suggestion? If you get the opportunity, try it yourself. I did, and, to be honest, the jury is still out.

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