Otterslide Truss Bridge

The Otterslide Truss Bridge once carried County Route 7/13 over the South Fork Hughes River in Berea, a community in Ritchie County, West Virginia.

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The Otterslide Truss Bridge once carried County Route 7/13 over the South Fork Hughes River in Berea, a community in Ritchie County, West Virginia.

The York Bridge Company of York, Pennsylvania, built the Pratt pony truss in 1913. ^{1 3} Over the years, the structure underwent several modifications.

During a 1976 inspection, a ¾-inch cable and turnbuckle were added around a pin to reinforce a cracked eyebar. ³ By the following year, the endposts and upper chord were strengthened with new steel angles. In 1985, the lower chords were replaced, the structure was repainted, and the backwalls were repaired. Additional work was performed in 2011, including reattaching a railing, sealing the deck, and cleaning and painting the bearings.

In 2017, the bridge was decommissioned and replaced by a Warren pony truss bridge. ¹ The new structure, funded by a gas company, ² was built by the U.S. Bridge Company. ¹

The 1913 Otterslide Truss Bridge is scheduled for removal by May 2025. ² A crane will be used to dismantle the bridge to minimize environmental impacts, including preserving a high-quality warmwater fishery, protecting federally endangered freshwater mussels, and safeguarding the Northern Long-eared Bat. The dismantling will take place on an adjacent property. The project is funded by a $497,931 Formula Grant awarded by the Federal Highway Administration in November 2024. ⁴

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Details

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Sources

1. “Otterslide Truss.” West Virginia Historic Bridge Inventory Form, 2013.
2. “Otterslide Truss Br Demo.” West Virginia Department of Transportation, 14 Jan. 2025.
3. “Otterslide Truss.” West Virginia Division of Highways, 13 May 2013.
4. “Formula Grant 693JJ22530000Y233WV0713007.” GovTribe.