Wheeling Suspension Bridge
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 |
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Oblique View of Bridge Photo taken from Wheeling Island. Photo taken by Rick Mattioni in July 2000 |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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North tower Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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Looking across the Ohio towards the south Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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Floor/deck view Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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South tower Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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Close-up of the portal bracing Note: This was installed as a benchmark to provide restriction to oversized trucks. I found this portal bracing to be unique despite it being modern. Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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Cable view Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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The SE anchor Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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The cable to the south tower Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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The south tower Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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Overview Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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Bridge railings Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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Roadway view Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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Close-up of the road grid Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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Ornament decoration on the tower Photo taken by Jason Smith in August, 2010 |
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; collapsed May 17, 1854; temporary bridge reopened July 26, 1854; permanent bridge reopened July 1860; improvements made 1871-72, 1886, 1922, 1930, 1956 and other years
- Builders
- - Charles Ellet (original 1849 construction, 1854 temporary reconstruction)
- Joseph Lawson (superintendent, 1865-1923)
- Washington A. Roebling (design of 1871-72 improvements)
- William Hildenbrand (1871-72, 1886 improvements)
- William McComas (1854 temporary reconstruction, 1859-60 improvements)
- Design
- Wire suspension
- Dimensions
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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") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 17/523267/4435583 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Wheeling
- Inventory numbers
- NRHP 70000662 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 35334 (Bridgehunter.com ID) - Inspection (as of 09/2010)
- 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)
Appraisal: Functionally obsolete
Sufficiency rating: 13.4 (out of 100) - Average daily traffic (as of 2008)
- 5,700
Update Log
- October 7, 2010: New photos from Jason Smith
- August 15, 2010: New Street View added by James Baughn
- January 27, 2010: Updated by J.R. Manning: Updated builder info
- July 4, 2009: Posted HAER photos
- March 19, 2009: Updated by Curtis Lee
- October 8, 2008: New photo from Rick Mattioni
- 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
- Rick Mattioni
- Curtis Lee - clee47ford [at] yahoo [dot] com
- HAER WV-2 - Wheeling Suspension Bridge, Spanning East channel of Ohio River at U.S. Route , Wheeling, Ohio County, WV
- National Register nomination
- Wikipedia
- Jason Smith - JDSmith77 [at] gmx [dot] net
Comments
The fixture on the tower may in fact be related to a gate as it was a toll bridge when first opened.
The designer of the original 1849 bridge was Charles Ellet Jr. who was the prime contractor for building it. The 1854 repairs to the bridge also were done by Ellet. Although several other engineers subsequently modified the bridge (notably William McComas and William Hildenbrand) the current appearance of the bridge is essentially the work of Joseph Lawson in 1872.
John A. Roebling was not in any way connected with the design and construction of the bridge at Wheeling.
The best reference for information about this bridge is: "The Wheeling Suspension Bridge - A Pictorial Heritage" by E.L. Kemp and B.R. Fluty,
Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., Charleston WV 1999
ISBN 1-57510-066-S
Spent 2 nights next to the bridge. It is very beutiful at night. Here is my favorite pictures I took from my motel balcony. Anyone who loves bridges should go see this one!
What an awe inspiring bridge! I hope to get to see it in person some day.
David, I was standing when I took that photo. I'm 5'10" tall and was looking up. I haven't been able to find any evidence that the bridge was gated at one time, but I also can't prove that it wasn't.
As to the unknown fixture on the pier.... It's hard to see from the angle of the picture how high it is above the deck.... if it's not too high, I ahve a strong suspicion that it is a hitching post. Let's remember when the bridge was built, there would have been only horses....this is my best guess.
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/wv/ohio/wheeling-suspension/