Fort Henry Bridge
Fort Henry Bridge | |
---|---|
Tied arch bridge | |
Total length | 1,660 feet (506 m) |
Width | 53.5 feet (16 m) |
Longest span | 580 feet (176.8 m) |
History | |
Opened | September 8, 1955 |
Statistics | |
Daily traffic | 60,070 (2009) |
Location | |
References | |
[1][2][3] |
The Fort Henry Bridge is a crossing of the Ohio River main channel in Wheeling, West Virginia. The tied-arch bridge carries two lanes in each direction of Interstate 70 (I-70), U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 250. The bridge opened after four years of construction work on September 8, 1955, costing $6.8 million, $1.8 million over budget. The bridge, along with the aging Wheeling Suspension Bridge, are the only two road links from Wheeling Island to downtown Wheeling, although this is the only one that allows vehicular traffic. In 2009, the structure carried an average of over 60,000 vehicles per day.
Description
The long tied-arch bridge carries four lanes of concurrent highways I-70, US 40 and US 250 over the main channel of the Ohio River between Wheeling Island and downtown Wheeling, West Virginia. The bridge is the easternmost portion of a 1-mile (1.6 km) long chain of elevated structures spanning Wheeling Creek in Ohio, the Ohio River back channel, Wheeling Island, and the main channel. To the east of the bridge after an interchange in downtown Wheeling, I-70 and US 250 enter the Wheeling Tunnel. Besides the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, the Fort Henry Bridge is the only fixed connection from Wheeling Island to mainland West Virginia.[4] The bridge is named after Fort Henry, which in turn was named after Patrick Henry, the governor of Virginia Territory at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.[5]
Truck traffic is prohibited from using the Wheeling Suspension Bridge and must take the Fort Henry Bridge to cross between downtown Wheeling and Wheeling Island.
History
Contracts to build the Fort Henry Bridge were let to the
The bridge was originally named the Ninth Street Bridge,
The bridge, along with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Wheeling Suspension bridge were all closed in January 2005, stopping any traffic from Ohio or Wheeling Island from entering mainland West Virginia for an hour due to barges breaking loose during heavy flooding along the Ohio River.[19]
See also
- List of crossings of the Ohio River
- Interstate 470 Bridge, another tied arch bridge across the Ohio River at Wheeling
References
- ^ a b "00000000035A061". National Bridge Inventory. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved January 29, 2011. [dead link]
- ^ a b I70 - Ohio to Pennsylvania (PDF) (Map). West Virginia Department of Transportation. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ a b c d "$6.8 Million Bridge to Open at Wheeling". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. September 8, 1955. p. 2. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-607-87359-7.
- ProQuest 220040542. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "Wheeling Bridge to be Inspected". Williamson Daily News. Williamson, West Virginia. October 20, 1971. p. 8. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "W. Va. Reports State Court of Claims 145". State of West Virginia. December 9, 1974. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Among the Editors: Figures Can Lie". The Washington Reporter. Washington, Pennsylvania. July 17, 1956. p. 4. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Dizzy Photos". The Pittsburgh Press. October 3, 1954. p. 8. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ a b "Dravo Firm Low on Wheeling Span Piers". The Portsmouth Times. Portsmouth, Ohio. Associated Press. August 2, 1951. p. 14. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ Toledo Blade. September 9, 1955. p. 6. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Prize Bridge: 1950's Winners". American Institute of Steel Construction. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Final List of Nationally and Exceptionally Significant Features of the Federal Interstate Highway System". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-7385-1587-8. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Historic National Road - West Virginia: Driving Directions". America's Byways. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on May 8, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "New Wheeling bridge opens". Greensburg Daily Tribune. Greensburg, Pennsylvania. September 9, 1955. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Decision is Due Shortly on Rt. 40 Replacement Route". The Washington Reporter. Washington, Pennsylvania. April 30, 1957. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "New Tunnel at Wheeling Opens". The Washington Observer. Washington, Pennsylvania. December 12, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ Schelzig, Erik (January 7, 2005). "West Virginia Governor Declares State of Emergency Due to Flood". Kentucky New Era. Associated Press. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
External links
- Fort Henry Bridge at Bridgehunter
- Fort Henry Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels
- Fort Henry Bridge at Structurae