The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet paid a contractor $1,450 to blast the spray paint off the Covington end of the bridge's base, said Nancy Wood, public information officer for the Cabinet's District 6 office in Fort Mitchell.

Workers for Cincinnati-based Contract Sweepers Inc., used a high pressure baking soda-and-water mix that removed the paint but didn't damage the stone, Wood said. The job took about six hours.

She urged anyone who witnessed future defacement of the bridge to call police.

"We hope that citizens that see any vandalism taking place on this his-toric landmark will please contact authorities," she said.

The graffiti was apparently painted on the bridge late last month.

When graffiti shows up on Covington property, city crews typically remove it by using a specially formulated spray or simply painting over it. But maintenance of the Suspension Bridge falls to the state.

Covington Mayor Butch Callery said he was pleased the Transportation Cabinet removed the unwanted artwork in a relatively short period of time.

"They got to it pretty quickly," he said. "You can't push too much because it's a state bridge, but they got to it in a reasonable amount of time."

Wood said the last time graffiti was removed from the bridge was about 18 months ago. She couldn't recall the nature of it.

The graffiti was on the stonework adjacent to a walkway frequented by cyclists, sports fans and others who prefer to walk rather than drive across the span.

Large yellow letters outlined in white, gray and green appeared to spell the letters "SB." Also painted in large, dark letters on the pier were the words "drop" and "who else."

The Suspension Bridge, built in 1856 and completed in 1866 under the direction of German engineer John A. Roebling, was a prototype for New York City's Brooklyn Bridge.