Walkers and bikers are a step closer toward being able to enjoy a stroll or ride across the Ohio River.  Construction crews have reached a major benchmark on the Big Four Bridge.  Crews have been able to hoist the first piece of what's being called the "pedestrian slope" onto metal pillars.

When it's fully built, the ramp will get bikers and walkers from Waterfront Park up to the bridge, which extends across the river to Jeffersonville.

Another piece of the slope is expected to go up later this week, and the hope is to get all the steel in place by the end of the month. 

Built in the late 1800's, the Big Four Bridge was used as a railroad bridge but has been sitting unused for years.  That has earned it the nickname "the bridge to nowhere," although that will soon change.

Finding funding for the project has been a struggle, but the latest effort is to try and garner federal stimulus dollars for it.  Indiana and Kentucky have applied for $25 million to pay for a portion of the work.