There are two significant bridges that span the majestic Ohio River connecting Portsmouth, Ohio, to Greenup County, Kentucky. The first one is the U.S. Grant Bridge, which is a cable-stayed suspension bridge. The second bridge is the Carl D. Perkins Memorial Bridge, which is a traditional cantilevered Warren through truss bridge.
Despite a weather forecast that called for all-day rain, I was on the hunt for several historic bridges in the southwest coalfields of West Virginia.
The Chatteroi Railway’s success relied heavily on a through truss bridge and tunnel located in Walbridge, Kentucky.
I visited two former Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad branch lines in eastern Kentucky that have been transformed into rail trails on a pleasant spring afternoon.
The bleakness of the winter landscape in south-central West Virginia was a constant reminder of the season’s harshness. It was a perfect time to visit some abandoned bridges and churches.
Glenville, West Virginia, the county seat of Gilmer County, is located along the Little Kanawha River. It was originally referred to as “the ford” because it was a place where travelers could cross the river. Today, bridges have mostly replaced the largest fords in the area.
This former Warren through truss over Dunlap Creek in Callaghan, Virginia, seems to have been demolished, with a replacement in the works.
The Dunbar-South Charleston Bridge, commonly known as the Dunbar Toll Bridge, was initially constructed as a tolled crossing by the city of Dunbar, West Virginia. It was to connect the emerging suburban community of Dunbar with industrial centers across the river. Lower than expected traffic counts and competition from free bridges forced the sale of the bridge in the 1970s.
The gradual deconstruction of the 60-year-old Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge continues. Completed in December 1963, it carried Interstate 64 over the Kanawha River between St. Albans and Nitro, West Virginia.
Enjoy these photos and a brief history of the Mid-Hudson Bridge, a wire suspension crossing that carries US Route 44 and NY Route 55 over the Hudson River between Ulster County and Poughkeepsie, New York.