Wheeling Suspension Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Wheeling Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the East channel of the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. It was the largest suspension bridge in the world from 1849 until the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge was opened in 1851. It was built by Charles Ellet Jr.,
In 1854, a strong windstorm collapsed the deck of the bridge, forcing Ellet to rebuild it. Although it has been rebuilt numerous times since then (once by Ellett's partner William McComas, and later by William Hildenbrand), the bridge remains in active service.
The bridge spans a distance of 1,010 feet (308 m) across the Ohio River so as to allow boats to pass underneath it. It remains the oldest vehicular suspension bridge in the USA that is still in use. The bridge is listed as a National Historic Landmark and a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
[edit] See also
- List of crossings of the Ohio River
- List of historic sites in Ohio County, West Virginia
- List of Registered Historic Places in West Virginia
[edit] External links
- Wheeling Suspension Bridge including pictures
- Wheeling Suspension Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels.
- Wheeling Suspension Bridge Page at the Library of Congress
Preceded by: ' |
List of Largest Suspension Bridges 1849 - 1851 |
Succeeded by: Queenston-Lewiston Bridge |
Preceded by: Queenston-Lewiston Bridge |
List of Largest Suspension Bridges 1864 - 1867 |
Succeeded by: John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge |
Bridges of the Ohio River | |||
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Upstream Fort Henry Bridge |
Wheeling Suspension Bridge |
Downstream I-470 Bridge |