Wheeling Suspension Bridge | |
|---|---|
 View from the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, 1977. Photo taken from City of Wheeling side, looking west toward Wheeling Island. | |
| Coordinates | 40°04′13″N 80°43′38″W / 40.0702°N 80.7273°W |
| Carries | Pedestrians |
| Crosses | Main channel of the Ohio River |
| Locale | Wheeling, West Virginia |
| Maintained by | West Virginia Department of Transportation |
| Characteristics | |
| Design |
|
| Longest span | 308 meters (1,010 ft)[1] |
| History | |
| Designer |
|
| Construction start | 1847[1] |
| Construction end | 1849, 1854, 1859, 1872[2] |
Wheeling Suspension Bridge | |
 Photo taken from Wheeling Island side, looking east toward the City of Wheeling | |
   | |
| Location | Wheeling, West Virginia |
| Coordinates | 40°4′13″N 80°43′38″W / 40.07028°N 80.72722°W |
| Architect | Charles Ellet Jr., Washington Roebling |
| Part of | Wheeling Island Historic District (ID92000320) |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000662 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 26, 1970[3] |
| Designated NHL | May 15, 1975[4] |
| Designated CP | April 2, 1992 |
| Location | |
 | |
The Wheeling Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the main channel of the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. It was the largest suspension bridge in the world from 1849 until 1851. Charles Ellet Jr. (who also worked on the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge) designed it and supervised construction of what became the first bridge to span a major river west of the Appalachian Mountains.[5] It linked the eastern and western section of the National Road, and became especially strategically important during the American Civil War. Litigation in the United States Supreme Court concerning its obstruction of the new high steamboat smokestacks eventually cleared the way for other bridges, especially needed by expanding railroads. Because this bridge was designed during the horse-and-buggy era, 2-ton weight limits and vehicle separation requirements applied in later years until it was closed to automobile traffic in September 2019.
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.[6] Detailed analysis of the bridge was conducted by Dr. Emory Kemp.
The Wheeling Suspension Bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark on May 15, 1975.[4] It is located in the Wheeling Island Historic District.[3]
- ^ a b c d Wheeling Suspension Bridge at Structurae
- ^ Jackson, Donald C. (1988). Great American Bridges and Dams. Wiley. p. 159. ISBN 0-471-14385-5.
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ a b "Wheeling Suspension". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 28, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2007.
- ^ "Wheeling Suspension Bridge". Bridgehunter.com.
- ^ Kemp, Emory (February 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form". National Park Service. Retrieved April 6, 2009.