Posted August 26, 200915 yr Charleston area bridges of the Kanawha River valley Charleston, West Virginia, home to over 50,000 residents in the Mountain State's largest city, is the financial, cultural and governmental center of the state. The Kanawha River slices through the heart of the city, lined with riverfront parks that draw thousands to pursue recreational opportunities, such as boating, fishing and trail running. Heavy industries also line the river, all with their own docks and access points. Numerous crossings span this busy waterway, including several record-breakers. Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Charleston Bridge Constructed in 1907, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad featured a branch between South Charleston and Charleston, and hauled chemicals, lumber and coal throughout the area. The bridge was last used in the late 1980s, and has been abandoned since. In 2003, the city of Charleston announced that it was going to convert the disused trestle and truss span into a rail-to-trail, tentatively titled the Kanawha Trestle Rail Trail. The trail would be part of a network of paths extending from the Mound in South Charleston to the Capitol Market and the state Capitol Complex with the goal of eventually reaching Coonskin Park. It would also include the conversion of a disused crossing, the Whipple Bridge over the Elk River, into a trail. The projected cost of restoring the span for rail-trail use is $2.5 million, with most of the money having been secured. Dunbar Toll Bridge The Dunbar Toll Bridge carries Kanawha County Route 25/47 over the Kanawha River, connecting Dunbar to South Charleston. It is also referred to as the John H. Reed, Jr. Memorial Bridge. Fort Hill Bridge The Fort Hill Bridge is one of my favorite crossings. It carries Interstate 64 and U.S. Route 119 over the Kanawha River in Charleston. It connects U.S. Route 119's interchange at milepost 58 with an impressive interchange to Virginia and Quarrier Street East. The span, the most heavily traveled in the state with a daily crossing average of 100,000, is also known as the Oakwood Bridge and Eugene A. Carter Memorial Bridge. The bridge opened in 1975 and was constructed by the Foster and Creighton Construction Company. It includes six continuous deck girder spans, four continuous deck girder spans, six continuous concrete box beam spans and a simple through-truss main span. The bridge deck originally contained deck sensors that were to set off flashing lights if the deck was iced over in the winter, although they were later removed because they continuously malfunctioned. The U.S. Route 119 interchange was one of the largest earth moving projects in the state at the time it was constructed. Click here for an aerial of the span and interchange. The bridge is currently being rehabilitated, the first in its history. A new epoxy bridge deck coating is being applied to reduce the number of accidents on its 50-MPH curve, and its spans are being repainted in the Mountaineer Blue color -- after a heated online poll that saw a push by both West Virginia University (Mountaineer Blue) and Marshall University (Thundering Herd Green). Early 1990s photo taken by Ray Lewis for the West Virginia Department of Transportation. Taken by Ray Lewis for the West Virginia Department of Transportation. Taken by Ray Lewis for the West Virginia Department of Transportation. Patrick Street Bridge The Patrick Street Bridge carries U.S. Route 60 over the Kanawha River, connecting MacCorkle Avenue S.W. to the West End of Charleston, West Virginia. It was constructed in 1930. South Side Bridge The South Side Bridge crosses the Kanawha River and connects Creel Avenue (and MacCorkle Avenue) to Virginia Street in Charleston. The original South Side Bridge was constructed in 1891, although it was deemed inadequate and obsolete by the 1930s due to growth south of downtown that placed heavy constraints upon the bridge. The city of Charleston issued a $330,000 bridge bond issue, passed in 1935, to replace the aging crossing. Preliminary construction began in January 1936 and the bridge was completed in April 1937. Funding was derived from several sources. The Works Progress Administration contributed approximately $312,000, of which $160,000 went for steel. The span over the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad was financed with $40,000 from the Federal Works Program grade crossing elimination funds, allocated by the West Virginia State Road Commission as project number WPGM 277. The bridge was restored and rededicated on November 1, 1990 through a $15 million public improvement issue, approved by the voters on July 18, 1989. Yeager Bridge Two spans carry Interstates 64 and 77, part of the West Virginia Turnpike, in Charleston near the Kanawha City neighborhood. The original span, named the Yeager Bridge after Chuck Yeager (a real maverick), opened to traffic in November 1954 as part of the West Virginia Turnpike, a tolled 88-mile two-lane limited-access highway between Charleston and Princeton. The bridge was constructed as a two-lane through-truss with shoulders, with a broad approach to the south that included acceleration and deceleration lanes to service McCorkle Avenue (West Virginia State Route 61). The northernmost toll plaza for the Turnpike was located in the Horseshoe Bend to the northwest of the bridge. In 1982, as part of the modernization and dualization of the West Virginia Turnpike, a second Kanawha River crossing was constructed adjacent to the original span. The nearly-identical through-truss is on a slightly elevated bridge deck and has higher height clearances. The older Yeager Bridge underwent rehabilitation in 1986. Click through to the following for more in-depth history, statistics and photographs! [*]Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Charleston Bridge [*]Dunbar Toll Bridge [*]Fort Hill Bridge [*]Patrick Street Bridge [*]South Side Bridge [*]Yeager Bridge Don't forget to check out the previous blog post, "West Virginia breaking another record for bridge construction", for two record-breaking spans over the Kanawha River west of the city. You can also subscribe to the Bridges & Tunnels Blog via RSS and follow me on Twitter for continuous updates. Enjoy!
August 26, 200915 yr Bah! Bridges to NOWHERE!!! But I do love Cafe du Paris! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 26, 200915 yr When converted for trail use the C&O bridge likely will be one of the most remarkable pieces of recreational trail in North America. That's one huge, long span!
August 26, 200915 yr Agreed, and the Big Four Bridge (carried four lines at one point) in Louisville will be just as spectacular. They are actually building the ramp on the Kentucky approach right now as part of the Waterfront Park Phase III development. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Four_Bridge_(Louisville)
August 26, 200915 yr South Side Bridge with the art deco piers. Nice. The Kanawha is impressively wide at Charleston...this must be one of the wider Ohio tributaries beyond Pittsburgh. Its been a long time but I recall dwtwn Charleston to be pretty densely developed. Maybe its the narrow streets on angles.
August 27, 200915 yr Agreed, and the Big Four Bridge (carried four lines at one point) in Louisville will be just as spectacular. They are actually building the ramp on the Kentucky approach right now as part of the Waterfront Park Phase III development. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Four_Bridge_(Louisville) The Big Four Bridge is a legendary piece of ironwork, possibly one of the most imposing structures of its type.
August 30, 200915 yr Whats Ray Lewis doing taking pictures for the WV Dept. of Transportation? Shouldn't he be out killing some one? Nice set though, Appalachia is pretty neat to met.
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