Located just west of New Concord, Ohio, where U.S. Route 40 crossed Fox Creek, the S Bridge was built as part of the National Road.
Located just west of New Concord, Ohio, where U.S. Route 40 crossed Fox Creek, the S Bridge was constructed in 1828 as part of the National Road. 1 It was one of several similar masonry bridges built in Ohio and Pennsylvania. The bridge measured about 140 feet long and 26 feet wide. A single 30-foot stone arch spanned the creek on a line perpendicular to the flow of the stream, while the roadway curved on either side of the arch. At the east end, the curve turned slightly less than 20° south; at the west end, it turned slightly less than 22° north.
The bridge was built of cut stone of varying sizes laid in courses of one foot or more, and its floor was constructed of brick. 1 Its distinctive S-shaped design was functional as well as unusual. The curves eased the approaches to the crossing, reduced the length of arch required to span the stream, avoided steep grades, and helped protect the backfill from erosion.
During World War I, the entire National Road from Cumberland, Maryland, to Vandalia, Illinois, was paved in brick to accommodate military traffic. 2 The Fox Creek S Bridge was the last section to be bricked, and that work was completed in 1919.
In 1936, the Ohio Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution persuaded the Ohio Highway Department to route the road around the old structure rather than replace it with a new bridge. 1
Details
- State: Ohio
- Route: National Road
- Status: Active (Pedestrian)
- Type: Closed Spandrel Arch, Stone Arch
- Total Length: 140'
- Main Span Length: 30'
- Deck Width: 26'
Sources
- Loveday, Amos J., Jr. “S” Bridge II. National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form, July 1972.
- “The Fox Creek ‘S’ Bridge Park.” Interpretative Marker, 1997.