Editing Interstate 471 (section)

==History==
I-471 was first envisioned in 1961 as an east–west connector between I-71/[[Interstate 75 in Kentucky|I-75]] in [[Covington, Kentucky]], with I-71 in Cincinnati, Ohio, crossing the Ohio River at a spot close to the current location. In effect, this connection would have provided for an alternative to I-71, creating an inner loop system that would span both Ohio and Kentucky. Since this freeway would have hugged the southern riverfront, I-471 would have prevented access to the Ohio River from Kentucky.

By 1967, the freeway was planned for a new alignment, much like the one seen today, connecting Cincinnati, Ohio, with Newport, Kentucky. On December 10, 1967, plans called for a north–south, {{convert|4.8|mi|km|adj=on}} freeway that would connect I-71 with I-275 near the interchange with US&nbsp;27. I-471 would have three lanes in each direction (which has since been reworked into four lanes in each direction due to a construction project).

The bridge between Newport and Cincinnati was constructed between November 1971 and September 1976 and named after Covington native [[Daniel Carter Beard]], the founder of the [[Boy Scouts of America]]. It developed the nickname of the "[[Big Mac]] Bridge" because its massive yellow arches over the river resemble the golden arches of [[McDonald's]] restaurants. The Daniel Carter Beard Bridge was fully dedicated in 1981.

Subsequent construction extended the freeway south from the bridge in phases, with the last segment of I-471 opening in 1980 at its junction with US&nbsp;27 south of I-275. In 1981, the cost to construct the freeway and bridge was calculated to be $85&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|85000000|1981}}}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US-GDP}}{{Inflation/fn|index=US-GDP}}).

'''Kentucky Route 471''' was originally assigned to the road from US 25W in Jellico to US 25W in Saxton. This was renumbered to [[Kentucky Route 1804|KY 1804]] in 1961 when I-471 was designated.

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