Bellaire Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Bellaire Bridge or Interstate Bridge is a privately-owned, closed cantilever
truss
toll bridge
that spans the Ohio River
between Benwood
, West Virginia
(near Wheeling
) and Bellaire
, Ohio
(near Martins Ferry
). It provided a link for commuter
s between southern Ohio border towns and West Virginia steel mill
s from 1926-1991.
The overall length of the bridge is 2770 feet (844.3 m), including the approach of 850 feet (259.1 m) on the West Virginia side and 670 feet (204.2 m) on the Ohio side of the river. The highest point in the bridge is 350 feet (106.7 m) above the water line.
Built in 1926, the bridge is likely the oldest cantilever truss bridge in West Virginia, and is the second oldest vehicular truss bridge over the entire Ohio River. It is currently unused, and missing approach spans on the Ohio side. As of August 14, 2011, the bridge remains standing, but is currently scheduled to be demolished.
was designed as a cantilever
truss bridge
by J. E. Greiner and Company, with the Vang Construction Company as contractors of the substructure; the J.E. Moss Iron Works and the Mt. Vernon Bridge Company as co-contractors of the superstructure. The R. R. Kitchen company of Wheeling had charge of placing the floor in the bridge.
The bridge was constructed over 18 months starting in June 1925 at a cost of about $1.5 million, which is equivalent to $ in present day terms. Funds were raised primarily through subscription by local residents. During construction, hundreds worked on the bridge, and one worker was killed: Fred Morning fell from a pier on the Benwood, West Virginia side to the ground below on June 12, 1926.
Over seven million tons of structural steel was used in the construction of the bridge. Railroad track
for streetcar
s was laid in the bridge deck, but never saw use. The bridge opened to traffic on December 22, 1926, with over 7,000 vehicles crossing it on its opening day.
. Initially, a one-way trip cost 5 cents. For nearly 45 years, the toll remained unchanged until, in 1971, the toll was increased to 25 cents one-way, 40 cents round trip. The bridge began losing money in 1984, so the owners increased the toll once more to 50 cents one-way, one dollar round trip.
(ODOT) needed to demolish the approach ramp to the crossing on the Ohio side of the river in order to provide right-of-way for a relocated Ohio State Route 7, which would no longer service the bridge.
ODOT paid $2.1 million in November, 1990 to the Interstate Bridge Company, the bridge's owner, and demolished the ramp soon after its closure. The U.S. Route 250
and West Virginia Route 2 approaches on the West Virginia side were concurrently abandoned.
The bridge was sold to Roger Barack, owner of a construction company in Bellaire, in March, 1991. There were talks of building a new approach on the Ohio side, however, no action was ever taken. $895,000 of the Ohio Department of Transportation payment had been set aside for demolition of the bridge but no demolition came about.
With assistance from then-state Senator
Bob Ney
, Barack approached ODOT about reopening the bridge, but those plans never bore fruit because "the costs involved far outweighed any potential for the bridge to function economically," according to a 2003 letter from ODOT Deputy Director Randall F. Howard.
In 2002, Benwood, West Virginia officials requested that the bridge be demolished as football-sized debris was falling onto the roadway below, but nothing was done. The United States Coast Guard
had ordered the span demolished, and had fined Barack over $200,000 for his nonfeasance. The bridge was still in place in May 2005, The Plain Dealer describing it as "a decrepit nuisance that residents of both states are eager to demolish."
, who had become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, obtained a $1.7 million Federal grant in 2005 to fund demolition the bridge. This soon engendered controversy, due to Ney's preexisting personal and political ties to Barack. Before Bellaire switched from Ney's district to that of Ted Strickland
as a result of Congressional redistricting
driven by the results of the 2000 United States Census, Ney rented his Congressional office space from Barack for $1,800 a month. Ney also received campaign contribution
s of $6,000 from Barack and his wife, most recently in 1997. Along with this, Ney nominated Barack's son for appointment to the United States Air Force Academy
.
reality show The Imploders, for USD 1. AED then sold the bridge to KDC Investments for USD 25,000, finalizing the deal on June 3, 2010. AED will be subcontracted to complete the demolition, with Delta Demolition, a local company, serving as the general contractor. The project originally was to be completed by September 28, 2010, but as has been historically typical with the bridge, delays have pushed the demolition back from a target of June 2011 to being indefinitely placed on hold.
Cantilever bridge
A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using cantilevers, structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed to handle road or rail traffic use trusses built from...
truss
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
toll bridge
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
that spans the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
between Benwood
Benwood, West Virginia
Benwood is a city in Marshall County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,585 at the 2000 census.Benwood was chartered in 1853 and incorporated in 1895...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
(near Wheeling
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
) and Bellaire
Bellaire, Ohio
Bellaire is a village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,278 at the 2010 census. The village is located along the Ohio River...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
(near Martins Ferry
Martins Ferry, Ohio
During the census of 2000, there were 7,226 people, 3,202 households, and 1,959 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,345.1 people per square mile . There were 3,680 housing units at an average density of 1,703.6 per square mile...
). It provided a link for commuter
Commuting
Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.- History :...
s between southern Ohio border towns and West Virginia steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
s from 1926-1991.
The overall length of the bridge is 2770 feet (844.3 m), including the approach of 850 feet (259.1 m) on the West Virginia side and 670 feet (204.2 m) on the Ohio side of the river. The highest point in the bridge is 350 feet (106.7 m) above the water line.
Built in 1926, the bridge is likely the oldest cantilever truss bridge in West Virginia, and is the second oldest vehicular truss bridge over the entire Ohio River. It is currently unused, and missing approach spans on the Ohio side. As of August 14, 2011, the bridge remains standing, but is currently scheduled to be demolished.
Construction
The bridgeBridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
was designed as a cantilever
Cantilever bridge
A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using cantilevers, structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed to handle road or rail traffic use trusses built from...
truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
by J. E. Greiner and Company, with the Vang Construction Company as contractors of the substructure; the J.E. Moss Iron Works and the Mt. Vernon Bridge Company as co-contractors of the superstructure. The R. R. Kitchen company of Wheeling had charge of placing the floor in the bridge.
The bridge was constructed over 18 months starting in June 1925 at a cost of about $1.5 million, which is equivalent to $ in present day terms. Funds were raised primarily through subscription by local residents. During construction, hundreds worked on the bridge, and one worker was killed: Fred Morning fell from a pier on the Benwood, West Virginia side to the ground below on June 12, 1926.
Over seven million tons of structural steel was used in the construction of the bridge. Railroad track
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
for streetcar
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s was laid in the bridge deck, but never saw use. The bridge opened to traffic on December 22, 1926, with over 7,000 vehicles crossing it on its opening day.
Tolls
In order to cover the cost of construction, those crossing the bridge were charged a tollToll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
. Initially, a one-way trip cost 5 cents. For nearly 45 years, the toll remained unchanged until, in 1971, the toll was increased to 25 cents one-way, 40 cents round trip. The bridge began losing money in 1984, so the owners increased the toll once more to 50 cents one-way, one dollar round trip.
Closure and planned demolition
This bridge was closed to traffic on May 1, 1991 because the Ohio Department of TransportationOhio Department of Transportation
The Ohio Department of Transportation is the organization of state government responsible for developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the state of Ohio with exception of the Ohio Turnpike. In addition to highways, the department also helps develop public transportation and...
(ODOT) needed to demolish the approach ramp to the crossing on the Ohio side of the river in order to provide right-of-way for a relocated Ohio State Route 7, which would no longer service the bridge.
ODOT paid $2.1 million in November, 1990 to the Interstate Bridge Company, the bridge's owner, and demolished the ramp soon after its closure. The U.S. Route 250
U.S. Route 250
U.S. Route 250 is a route of the United States Numbered Highway System, and is a spur of U.S. Route 50. It currently runs for from Sandusky, Ohio to Richmond, Virginia. It passes through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. It goes through the cities of Richmond, Virginia,...
and West Virginia Route 2 approaches on the West Virginia side were concurrently abandoned.
The bridge was sold to Roger Barack, owner of a construction company in Bellaire, in March, 1991. There were talks of building a new approach on the Ohio side, however, no action was ever taken. $895,000 of the Ohio Department of Transportation payment had been set aside for demolition of the bridge but no demolition came about.
With assistance from then-state Senator
Ohio Senate
The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...
Bob Ney
Bob Ney
Robert William Ney is an American politician from the U.S. state of Ohio. A Republican, Ney represented Ohio's 18th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 until November 3, 2006, when he resigned...
, Barack approached ODOT about reopening the bridge, but those plans never bore fruit because "the costs involved far outweighed any potential for the bridge to function economically," according to a 2003 letter from ODOT Deputy Director Randall F. Howard.
In 2002, Benwood, West Virginia officials requested that the bridge be demolished as football-sized debris was falling onto the roadway below, but nothing was done. The United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
had ordered the span demolished, and had fined Barack over $200,000 for his nonfeasance. The bridge was still in place in May 2005, The Plain Dealer describing it as "a decrepit nuisance that residents of both states are eager to demolish."
Bob Ney controversy
Bob NeyBob Ney
Robert William Ney is an American politician from the U.S. state of Ohio. A Republican, Ney represented Ohio's 18th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 until November 3, 2006, when he resigned...
, who had become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, obtained a $1.7 million Federal grant in 2005 to fund demolition the bridge. This soon engendered controversy, due to Ney's preexisting personal and political ties to Barack. Before Bellaire switched from Ney's district to that of Ted Strickland
Ted Strickland
Theodore "Ted" Strickland was the 68th Governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ....
as a result of Congressional redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
driven by the results of the 2000 United States Census, Ney rented his Congressional office space from Barack for $1,800 a month. Ney also received campaign contribution
Campaign finance
Campaign finance refers to all funds that are raised and spent in order to promote candidates, parties or policies in some sort of electoral contest. In modern democracies such funds are not necessarily devoted to election campaigns. Issue campaigns in referendums, party activities and party...
s of $6,000 from Barack and his wife, most recently in 1997. Along with this, Ney nominated Barack's son for appointment to the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
.
Demolition
On May 20, 2010, Roger Barack announced that he had sold the bridge to Advanced Explosives Demolition (AED), a demolition company that has gained fame through their demolitions on the TLCTLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
reality show The Imploders, for USD 1. AED then sold the bridge to KDC Investments for USD 25,000, finalizing the deal on June 3, 2010. AED will be subcontracted to complete the demolition, with Delta Demolition, a local company, serving as the general contractor. The project originally was to be completed by September 28, 2010, but as has been historically typical with the bridge, delays have pushed the demolition back from a target of June 2011 to being indefinitely placed on hold.
Notable events
- On Independence DayIndependence Day (United States)Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
, 4 July 1927, an interstate wedding took place on the span between WheelingWheeling, West VirginiaWheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, West VirginiaWest VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
resident Roberta Pearl Thomas of , and Harry E. Stricklin of BellaireBellaire, OhioBellaire is a village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,278 at the 2010 census. The village is located along the Ohio River...
, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. It is not known whether the bride or groom paid the toll. - Portions of the movie The Silence of the Lambs were filmed on the bridge.
General sources
- Martins Ferry Daily Times (Martins Ferry, OhioMartins Ferry, OhioDuring the census of 2000, there were 7,226 people, 3,202 households, and 1,959 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,345.1 people per square mile . There were 3,680 housing units at an average density of 1,703.6 per square mile...
). December 22, 1926. - Martins Ferry Daily Times (Martins Ferry, Ohio). July 1, 1927.
- The Intelligencer (Wheeling, West VirginiaWheeling, West VirginiaWheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
). December 1, 1990. - The Intelligencer (Wheeling, West Virginia). March 27, 1991.
- The Wheeling News RegisterThe Intelligencer & Wheeling News RegisterThe Intelligencer and Wheeling News Register are combined daily newspapers under common ownership in Wheeling, West Virginia owned by Ogden Newspapers. The Intelligencer is published weekday mornings and Saturdays, while the News-Register is published weekday afternoons and Sundays.-References:...
- Ohio Edition (Wheeling, West Virginia). April 22, 1991. - Letter from the Interstate Bridge Company (Bellaire, OhioBellaire, OhioBellaire is a village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,278 at the 2010 census. The village is located along the Ohio River...
). March 27, 1948.
External links
- Bellaire Interstate Toll Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels
- Bellaire Bridge at Historic Bridges of Michigan and Elsewhere