West Buckeye Bridge

The original West Buckeye Bridge over Dunkard Creek on County Route 39 was a 99-foot-long Pratt pony truss.

In 2001, the West Virginia Division of Highways commissioned the construction of a timber arch bridge to replace the aging crossing. ¹ Turman Construction Company of Barboursville completed this bridge in 2004 at a cost of $3 million.

At the time of its completion, the West Buckeye Bridge was the world’s longest three-hinge timber arch bridge. ¹ Designed by Alpha Associates ³ in partnership with West Virginia University, the project was funded by the Federal Highway Administration to promote innovative technology. The 149-foot bridge boasts high-performance steel, two 11-foot lanes, four-foot shoulders, and a five-foot sidewalk on a fiber-reinforced polymer deck. This timber arch, enhanced with fiber reinforcement and glue lamination, was produced by an Oregon company.

However, by 2009, the fiber-reinforced polymer deck had deteriorated. ² It was then replaced with a precast Exodermic deck made of lightweight concrete by LB Foster, installed by Orders Construction, and designed again by Alpha Associates, Inc.

The bridge was named in honor of the late Delegate Robert C. “Bob” Beach, a former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates. ⁴