The Purple People Bridge isn't as purple as it used to be.

And to repaint the historic span between Newport and Cincinnati is costly. Estimates place the cost just to repaint the bridge at $1 million. Other improvements are also needed.

So, the Newport Southbank Bridge Company, the nonprofit organization that owns and operates the Purple People Bridge, launched an online campaign through GoFundMe to raise $100,000 from the community at-large to help, as it seeks additional funds elsewhere.

“Many people still think that the Purple People Bridge is owned by the state or the city, but it’s not; it’s a privately owned structure and it has been for nearly twenty years,” said Jack Moreland, president of NSBC and Southbank Partners. “It is crucial that our organization raise the funds needed to repaint, repair, and maintain this important pedestrian link between our communities so that it can remain open to the public.”

While NSBC-sponsored fundraising efforts – like the summertime weekly concert series, “Party on the Purple,” and its Labor Day fireworks fundraiser, “Boom on the Bridge” – generate some funding needed to defray everyday maintenance costs, these events do not provide enough money to repaint and maintain the bridge in the future, a news release said.

The bridge was last painted in 2003, and the nonprofit bridge company is looking to raise these funds through partnerships and sponsorships with corporate citizens, foundations, and philanthropic-minded individuals.

“We launched the GoFundMe to encourage the public to support the Purple People Bridge, especially those people who regularly use the bridge for their commute, for leisure, or for fun,” Moreland said. “The Purple People Bridge is such a unique and meaningful landmark in our region, but we need to paint it and maintain it to keep it that way.”

To donate to the GoFundMe account, click here.

-Staff report