Historic Bridges of the U.S. | Wheeling Suspension Bridge

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Photos

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Oblique View From Wheeling Island

This antebellum bridge was, at one time, the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere and today, may be the oldest suspension bridge, still in use, in the Western Hemisphere.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The east portal in downtown Wheeling

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The east pier

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Cable Anchor in Downtown Wheeling

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Cable Anchor in Downtown Wheeling

Note the "National Road" label. At one time, this bridge carried US 40, The National Road, in and out of Wheeling.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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West Virginia Historical Marker

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Federal Historical Markers

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Interpretive Plaque

Thew history of the bridge is displayed here.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The north railing and deck

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Fixtures of unknown purpose

These fixtures, on both sides of the pier, indicate that the bridge might have been gated at one time. Does anyone know?

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Deck and Pier

Looking east toward downtown Wheeling.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Cabling details

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The west approach on Wheeling Island

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Architects Plaque, mounted on the west pier

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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West cable anchor

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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West cable anchor & cable detail

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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The undercarriage

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Underneath, looking west

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

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Wheeling Circa 1900

Note the Wheeling Bridge. The truss to the left of it was a railroad bridge, long gone.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning

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Wheelng Circa 2007

I wanted to duplicate the old photo, but the trees have all grown up in over 100 years and made it pretty tough - this was the closest I could come.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007

Map

Vicinity Map

Vicinity map

Map links:

Facts

Overview: Suspension bridge over Ohio River on WV 251 in Wheeling
Location: Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia
Status: Open to traffic
History: Built 1849; rehabilitated 1999
Design: Wire suspension
Dimensions: Length of largest span: 949.2 ft.
Total length: 1,307.2 ft.
Deck width: 20.0 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 22.7 ft.
Recognition: Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on January 26, 1970
Approximate latitude, longitude: +40.07019, -80.72714 (decimal degrees)
40°04'13" N, 80°43'38" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Inventory numbers: NRHP 70000662 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 35334 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 10/2006): Deck condition rating: Very Good (8 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 13.6 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2005): 5,550

Update Log

February 24, 2008: New photos from J.R. Manning
January 29, 2008: New photos from J.R. Manning

Sources

J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net

Comments

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