The Pine Street Bridge, a two-span concrete arch bridge erected in 1929 by the Luten Bridge Company and historically referred to as the Freight Depot Bridge, is located in Pineville, the county seat of Bell County, Kentucky. Bell County is located in the extreme southeast corner of the State in the heart of the Cumberland Mountains. The town of Pineville is situated in a valley next to Pine Valley in a bend of the Cumberland River which bisects the county. The bridge is located on the eastern edge of Pineville and spans the Cumberland River with its northern terminus adjacent to the Louisville and Nashville railroad tracks and depot; hence the local name, the Freight Depot Bridge. The bridge primarily provides access to the Straight Creek community in the northern section of Bell County.

Pineville is historically noteworthy for its location on the almost legendary route of pioneer migration known as "The Wilderness Road." First laid out for European use by Daniel Boone in 1775, the route in large part followed the aboriginal trade and travel route known as "The Warriors Path." Passing through Cumberland Gap a few miles to the south, both the 'Warriors Path" and the "Wilderness Road" forded the Cumberland River at a point known as Cumberland Ford and located approximately one-tenth of a mile downstream from the Pine Street Bridge. However, U. S. Highway 25, which was constructed in the 1920s, is the modern highway which most closely approximates the 'Wilderness Road" route. The modern road parallels the Cumberland River about a mile downstream from the historic crossing. Due to the construction of Highway 25, the Pine Street Bridge, which is located relatively close to the historic crossing, has since the 1920s primarily provided access to the northern portion of Bell County.