The Browns Island Bridges consists of a Warren through truss and a girder bridge over the Ohio River between Ohio and Weirton Steel in Weirton, West Virginia.
The Browns Island bridges over the main channel and back channel of the Ohio River were constructed in 1970-72 by Allied Structural Steel of Hammond, Indiana for the Weirton Steel Corporation. 1 2 3 5 The main channel crossing was built to connect the steel mill with a new coke plant on Browns Island while the back channel was meant to be a temporary construction connection from the island to Costonia, Ohio. 3
Even before the Browns Island bridges were fully complete, they were being considered for use by the public while the Fort Steuben Bridge underwent major repairs. 1 The scheme was nixed because of the liability of public traffic mixing with company vehicles on narrow inter-plant roads next to active industrial buildings, blast furnaces, and railroad cars with hot metal.
The coke plant was shuttered in 1982 because of a major plant downsizing. 4
Information
- State: Ohio, West Virginia
- Route: Private
- Type: Beam, Warren Through Truss
- Status: Abandoned / Closed
- Total Length: 1,312 feet
- Main Span Length: 640 feet
Sources
- “New Browns Island Bridge To Be Limited.” Weirton Daily Times, 1 Mar. 1972, pp. 1-2.
- “Browns Island Coke Plant To Be Completed In Sept.” Weirton Daily Times, 6 Apr. 1972, pp. 1-2.
- “Coke Plant On Island 40 Percent Complete.” Weirton Daily Times, 7 Oct. 1971, pp. 1-2.
- Brennan, James J. “Weirton Steel Plans To Close Coke Plant.” Pittsburgh Press, 20 Aug. 1982, p. B6.
- “Weirton Steel Project Advanced.” Evening Review [East Liverpool], 11 Oct. 1971, p. 19.
- “Bridge Planned to Browns Island.” Weirton Daily Times, 21 Apr. 1970, p. 1.