WHEELING SUSPENSION BRIDGE, WHEELING, WV [Click photo to enlarge – image credit: Liz Kaye]
Wheeling Suspension Bridge:
A Fundamental Part of Wheeling, WV
The Wheeling Suspension Bridge has been a part of the city of Wheeling since 1836. The first bridge to span the Ohio River, it is the oldest operating suspension bridge in the world.
Wheeling and the National Road is home to one of the greatest engineering achievements in American History. The nearly 170-year-old Wheeling Suspension Bridge is the oldest operating suspension bridge in the world. The bridge was the first to span a main channel of the Ohio River. In 1836, a two span covered bridge opened over the back channel of the Ohio in Wheeling. This bridge crossed at the site of an 1893 truss and modern day bridge that carries Route 40 over the back channel to this day!
The historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge took three years to complete and began its journey as a toll bridge.
The main span is 1,010 feet (310 m) from tower to tower. The east tower rests on the Wheeling shore, while the west tower is on Wheeling Island. The east tower is 153.5 feet (46.8 m) above the low-water level of the river, or 82 feet (25 m) from the base of the masonry. The west tower is 132.75 feet (40.46 m) above low water, with 69 feet (21 m) of masonry.
The Wheeling Suspension Bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark on May 15, 1975.[4] It is located in the Wheeling Island Historic District.
Charles Ellet proposed the design of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge and made what many at that time thought to be impossible, possible.
The 1,010 foot suspension bridge opened in 1849 and has had different renovations throughout the years, but it is still running strong.
From its beginning in 1849, the Wheeling Suspension Bridge was known as The Gateway to the West, a name that still applies in 2014.
Since 1849, the Wheeling Suspension Bridge has been a pathway across the Ohio River for countless passengers and freight. As the oldest suspension bridge still in use in the world, the bridge continues to span the Ohio River in 2014.
RELATED ARTICLES
- The National Road: Wheeling, WV
- Wheeling Suspension Bridge
- Wheeling Suspension Bridge, oldest of its kind in use, closed after cable breaks
- Wheeling Suspension Bridge
- Wheeling Heritage Port: Center for Festivals and Fun
by Liz Kaye
–with Mondo Frazier
images:
1 & 4: Liz Kaye
2 & 3: Nat’l. Park Service
© Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report, 2012-14. © Mondo Frazier, DBKP and End Times Prophecy Report, 2007-14. © Liz Kaye, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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