Silver Bridge

For other uses, see Silver Bridge (disambiguation).
"Point Pleasant Bridge" redirects here. For the rail bridge, see Point Pleasant Rail Bridge.
Silver Bridge
The Silver Bridge upon completion in 1928
Coordinates38°50′42″N 82°08′28″W / 38.84500°N 82.14111°W / 38.84500; -82.14111
CrossedOhio River
LocalePoint Pleasant, Mason County, West Virginia, United States
Kanauga, Gallia County, Ohio, United States
Official namePoint Pleasant Bridge[1]
Followed bySilver Memorial Bridge
Characteristics
Designsuspension bridge
MaterialSteel
Total length2,235 feet (681 m)
Longest span700 feet (210 m)
Piers in water2
Design life39 years (until collapse)
History
DesignerJ. E. Greiner Company[2]
Constructed byAmerican Bridge Company
OpenedMay 30, 1928[3]
CollapsedDecember 15, 1967
Location
Map
References
[4]

The Silver Bridge was an eyebar-chain suspension bridge built in 1928 which carried U.S. Route 35 over the Ohio River, connecting Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio. Officially named the Point Pleasant Bridge,[1] it was popularly known as the Silver Bridge for the color of its aluminum paint.

On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed amid heavy rush-hour traffic, resulting in the deaths of 46 people, two of whom were never found. Investigation of the wreckage soon pointed to the failure of a single eyebar in one of the suspension chains as the primary cause — a finding noted in a preliminary report released within 10 months of the collapse.[5] However, to explain why that eyebar failed — a failure triggered by a flaw just 0.1 inches (2.5 mm) deep, which led to a fracture — required significantly more time and effort to uncover, with the final accident report[6] taking three years to complete. The collapse led to significant changes in the way bridges in the U.S. are inspected and maintained.

The collapsed bridge was replaced by the Silver Memorial Bridge, which was completed in 1969.

  1. ^ a b Witcher, T.R. (December 2017). "From Disaster to Prevention: The Silver Bridge". Civil Engineering Magazine. 87 (11). American Society of Civil Engineers: 45. doi:10.1061/ciegag.0001250. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  2. ^ Witcher, T. R. (December 2017). "From Disaster to Prevention: The Silver Bridge" (PDF). Civil Engineering. Reston, Va.: American Society of Civil Engineers. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-05. Retrieved 2018-01-04.
  3. ^ "Silver Bridge". transportation.wv.gov. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
  4. ^ Silver Bridge at Structurae. Retrieved 2018-01-04.
  5. ^ Passaglia, Elio (1999). "The Investigation of the Point Pleasant Bridge Collapse". NIST Digital Archives. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Retrieved 4 November 2023. Excerpt of 'A Unique Institution: The National Bureau of Standards, 1950–1969,' by Elio Passaglia, NIST Special Publication 925.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference NTSB_1970 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).