The Parkersburg–Belpre Bridge is a four-lane

cantilever bridge A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end (called cantilevers). For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beam (structure), beams; however, large cantilever ...

that connects

Parkersburg, West Virginia Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia, Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Little Kanawha River, Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and ...

Belpre, Ohio Belpre (historically spelled Belpré; pronounced ) is a city in Washington County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River near Parkersburg, West Virginia. Its name derives from "Belle Prairie" (French for "beautiful meadow"), the name given ...

across the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

. The bridge was completed in 1980. The bridge had been signed U.S. Route 50 (US 50) until June 13, 2008, when that highway was re-routed to the

Blennerhassett Island Bridge Blennerhassett Island Bridge, with a network arch design, carries U.S. Route 50 ( Appalachian Development Highway System's Corridor D) over the Ohio River and the historic Blennerhassett Island between Belpre Township, Washington County, Ohio ...

a few miles to the west, as part of the completion of the

Corridor D In the United States, Corridor D is part of the Appalachian Development Highway System. In Ohio, it follows State Route 32 from the eastern Cincinnati suburbs until a point west of Albany, where it becomes concurrent with U.S. Route 50. After ...

project around Parkersburg. The

American Discovery Trail The American Discovery Trail is a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. The coastal tra ...

uses the bridge to cross the Ohio River.

Parkersburg Suspension Bridge

The current bridge replaced a 1916

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

located just downstream of the present site. The bridge was designed by Hermann Lamb and built by the John A. Roebling's Sons Company of New Jersey. The bridge had a deck, which included a pedestrian walkway. The main span was and the side spans were and . The suspension bridge was demolished on March 16, 1980.

References

External links

Parkersburg-Belpre Bridge
at Bridges & Tunnels

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20021201223254/http://www.geocities.com/pburg26143/BridgeDemolish1.html Photograph of the partial dismantling of the 1916 suspension bridge, February 1980br>Description and photographs of the controlled explosive demolition of the 1916 suspension bridge, March 16, 1980, from Controlled Demolition, Inc.
* * * Bridges completed in 1980 Bridges over the Ohio River Bridges in Washington County, Ohio Buildings and structures in Parkersburg, West Virginia Cantilever bridges in the United States Historic American Engineering Record in Ohio Historic American Engineering Record in West Virginia Road bridges in Ohio Road bridges in West Virginia Transportation in Wood County, West Virginia U.S. Route 50 Truss bridges in the United States 1980 establishments in West Virginia 1980 establishments in Ohio Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States Belpre, Ohio {{WestVirginia-bridge-struct-stub

Parkersburg Suspension Bridge

See also

References

External links