Market Street Bridge carries WV Route 2 Spur and Market Street over the Ohio River between Steubenville, Ohio, and Brooke County, West Virginia. The wire suspension bridge, fitted with Warren through trusses, was constructed in 1905 by the Ohio Steel Erection Company and the Penn Bridge Company of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. It was rehabilitated in 1981 and 2011.
History
Origins
The Market Street Bridge originated from a deal between Steubenville businessman Dohrman Sinclair and the Follansbee brothers of West Virginia. 1 Sinclair agreed to build the bridge if the Follansbees would construct a tin mill directly across the river. Sinclair’s Tri-State Traction Company streetcars would then provide transportation for the mill workers, creating a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Using an interurban railway, the project was part of a broader plan to connect East Liverpool with Steubenville, Wellsburg, Wheeling, and other cities along the Ohio River. 3 In November 1902, the Wellsburg, Steubenville & New Cumberland Street Railway (WS&NC) was incorporated in West Virginia. 5 The WS&NC was proposed to connect with the Northern Ohio Valley Railway, 6 which was under construction between Wheeling and Wellsburg, and follow the river north to Chester, connecting with the East Liverpool & Rock Springs Street Railway.
The Tri-State Railway Company eventually constructed the route in 1904, later known as the Steubenville, Wellsburg & Weirton Railway, from Wellsburg north to Steubenville. 6 The line was extended north to Weirton in 1906. In 1917, West Penn Railways took over operations, later leasing it to the Wheeling Traction Company.
As part of the proposal for the WS&NC, an interurban bridge over the Ohio River in Steubenville was planned. 3 The bridge would be located at the foot of the Middle Ferry on Market Street. 5 On the West Virginia side, the interurban would connect to a north-south line stretching from Chester south to Wellsburg and Wheeling. 4 James Newell of the Newell Land Company, a promoter of the bridge, was also involved in a similar project for a bridge between East Liverpool, Ohio, and Chester, West Virginia.
Construction
Sinclair hired E.K. Morse to design a bridge over the Ohio River between Steubenville and West Virginia, where streetcar routes operated by the Tri-State Traction Company, Wheeling Traction System, and the West Penn Traction Company would connect various communities along the river. 1 The Ohio Steel Erection Company and the Penn Bridge Company were selected as contractors for the crossing.
Construction of the new Steubenville bridge began in early October 1903. 4 By October 20, several dredge boats and other watercraft from Pittsburgh arrived at the bridge site, followed by stonemasons six days later. The bridge was expected to be open by December 1904.
On March 3, 1904, at 2 a.m., the steamboat Virginia struck the submerged pier of the new bridge. 2 The boat was backing out into the river from the wharf when the starboard side struck the pier, leaving a ten-foot hole in the hull. The boat began to sink in deep water but was brought in due to its short distance from the shore. About 60 passengers on board scrambled to the shoreline, and the steamboat Kanawha later picked them up.
The new bridge was completed in 1905. 1 It consisted of a 1,794-foot main wire suspension span with a stiffening Warren through truss, two deck girder spans, and a five-span Warren through truss.
Renovations
By 1922, the Market Street Bridge was experiencing structural failures due to overloaded freight cars, specifically in the top chord of the bridge. 1 Engineer David B. Steinman, known for designing the Mackinac Bridge, inspected the bridge and recommended numerous repairs and modifications, which were implemented. Major repairs between 1940 and 1941 included replacing the stiffening truss over the river and removing the ornate finales atop the towers at a cost of $400,000, funded by the state of West Virginia. 7 9
Upon completion of the work, ownership of the bridge was transferred from the Steubenville Bridge Company to the state on January 1, 1942, for $1.3 million. 1 7 This deal included the state’s sale of 3% bonds to a syndicate led by Stranahan & Harris of Cincinnati. 7 The bonds were to be repaid through toll collection, which the state estimated would take 12 years. Tolls were removed in 1953. 1
A major rehabilitation project funded by the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act occurred in 2009 and 2010. 8 9 The design team, Burgess & Niple, expedited the renovation plans in just ten weeks to meet financing deadlines, with fieldwork beginning on June 1, 2009. 9 Design work started on June 14, and a construction bid was submitted on August 31 and awarded in November.
Construction by Ahern & Associates began in 2010. 8 9 During the renovation, over 30,000 pounds of new structural steel were added to the towers. 8 The stiffening trusses were strengthened by continuous welding of the plates, and some rocker post bearings were replaced with modern, maintenance-free materials. 9 The floor beams and stringers were also replaced. The bridge was then coated with a penetrating calcium sulfonate paint designed to remain plastic and self-heal over time.
The project was completed in 2011 9 at a cost of $13.741 million, including $1.112 million in change orders. 8
Closure
The Market Street Bridge was closed in December 2023 due to structural issues with broken strands in the bridge’s cable anchoring system. 10 On July 10, 2024, an inspection revealed several other broken strands.
Replacement
On July 12, 2024, U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin announced an $87.5 million federal allocation to replace the Market Street Bridge. 10 The funding comes from the Bridge Investment Program, established by the EPW Committee’s Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, which was included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law in 2021.
Gallery

















Details
- State: Ohio, West Virginia
- Route: Market Street
- Status: Active (Automobile)
- Type: Wire Suspension
- Total Length: 1,794'
- Main Span Length: 700'
- Spans: 0
- Deck Width: 20.7'
- Roadway Width: 0
- Height of Structure: 210'
- Above Vertical Clearance: 11'
- Navigational Clearance: 0
Sources
- Holth, Nathan. “Market Street Bridge.” Historicbridges.org, article.
- “Steamer Virginia Struck and Her Hull Stoven In.” Evening Review [East Liverpool], 3 Mar. 1904, p. 1.
- “A Street Railway Line to Extend Up the River from Steubenville Here.” Evening Review [East Liverpool], 12 Dec. 1902, pp. 1-5.
- “Bridge Plans Progressing.” Evening Review [East Liverpool], 21 Oct. 1903, p. 1.
- “Proposed Trolley Line Chester to Wellsburg.” Evening Review [East Liverpool], 22 Nov. 1902, p. 1.
- Fluharty, Linda Cunningham. “Virtual Wheeling Area Trolley Museum.” West Virginia GenWeb, article.
- “West Virginia Buys Span.” Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Jan. 1942, p. 38.
- “Market Street Bridge.” West Virginia Department of Transportation, presentation.
- Moosmann, Kari. “REHABILITATING AND BEAUTIFYING AN AGING BRIDGE.” Civil + Structural Engineer, 29 Jan. 2014, article.
- Jenkins, Jeff. “Funding provided for Market Bridge replacement.” MetroNews, 12 Jul. 2024.