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Van Metre Ford Bridge

Berkeley County, West Virginia
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Van Metre Ford Bridge

Source: Waymarking.com

Map 

Street View 

Description 

This is the second oldest bridge in West Virginia.

Constructed in 1832 by Silas Henry of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, the Van Metre Ford Bridge spans the Opequon Creek near present Route 36, on the old road from Alexandria, Virginia to the Warm Springs. The bridge served both Union and Confederate troops during the Civil War and played an important part in the transportation development of the Eastern Panhandle. The bridge is noted for its wide, graceful stone arches and rounded pilasters. Built at a cost of $3,700, the native limestone bridge is considered a classic example of early American stonework. During the period 1828-34, stone bridges gave way to wooden bridges as they were cheaper and faster to build, with an abundance of raw material available in the form of the vast forests. ~ CREDIT: WV Division of Highways website

View Uglybridges.com report

Facts 

Overview
Stone arch bridge over Opequon Creek on CR 36 SLS
Location
Berkeley County, West Virginia
Status
Open to traffic
Future prospects
A new bridge is slated to be built on new alignment. Hopefully the historic bridge will be left in place for pedestrians.
History
Built 1832
Builder
- Silas Harry
Design
Stone arch
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 32.2 ft.
Total length: 90.9 ft.
Deck width: 16.1 ft.
Recognition
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on August 22, 1977
Approximate latitude, longitude
+39.44500, -77.92833   (decimal degrees)
39°26'42" N, 77°55'42" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
18/248005/4370253 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map
Martinsburg
Inventory numbers
NRHP 77001373 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 35009 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 06/2011)
Superstructure condition rating: Serious (3 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Appraisal: Structurally deficient
Sufficiency rating: 3.0 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2008)
6,900

Categories 

19th Century (3,851)
Arch (9,440)
Berkeley County, West Virginia (16)
Built 1832 (24)
Built during 1830s (91)
Deck arch (8,724)
Flared (407)
Have street view (10,035)
NR-listed (2,355)
 Open (28,454)
Owned by state (9,852)
Silas Harry (10)
Span length 25-50 feet (10,104)
Stone arch (1,937)
Structurally deficient (16,728)
Total length 75-100 feet (4,812)
West Virginia (982)

Update Log 

  • December 19, 2010: Updated by Jodi Christman: Added builder and description
  • July 23, 2010: Updated by Nathan Holth: A replacement is planned. Future of historic bridge unknown.
  • April 19, 2010: New Street View added by Nathan Holth

Sources 

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