Bellaire Bridge

Template:Geobox 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 commuters between southern Ohio border towns and West Virginia steel mills from 1926-1991.

The overall length of the bridge is 2,770 feet (840 m), including the approach of 850 feet (260 m) on the West Virginia side and 670 feet (200 m) on the Ohio side of the river. The highest point in the bridge is 350 feet (110 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 3 April 2009, the bridge remains standing, its ultimate fate uncertain.

Construction

The bridge 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 $25.8 million 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 streetcars 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 toll. 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

This bridge was closed to traffic on May 1, 1991 because the Ohio Department of Transportation (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 Cleveland Plain Dealer describing it as "a decrepit nuisance that residents of both states are eager to demolish."

Bob Ney controversy

Bob Ney, 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 contributions 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.

It seems puzzling to me that public dollars would be used to tear down a bridge that is owned by an individual.

— U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland

Notable events

• On Independence Day, 4 July 1927, an interstate wedding took place on the span between Wheeling, West Virginia resident Roberta Pearl Thomas of , and Harry E. Stricklin of Bellaire, Ohio. 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.

See also

• List of crossings of the Ohio River

External links

• Bellaire Interstate Toll Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels
• Bellaire Bridge at Historic Bridges of Michigan and Elsewhere
• Bellaire Bridge at Bridgemapper.com

References

General sources

• Bellaire Interstate Toll Bridge. Bellaire Public Library. 7 July 2005.
• Martins Ferry Daily Times (Martins Ferry, Ohio). December 22, 1926.
• Martins Ferry Daily Times (Martins Ferry, Ohio). July 1, 1927.
• The Intelligencer (Wheeling, West Virginia). December 1, 1990.
• The Intelligencer (Wheeling, West Virginia). March 27, 1991.
• The Wheeling News Register - Ohio Edition (Wheeling, West Virginia). April 22, 1991.
• Letter from the Interstate Bridge Company (Bellaire, Ohio). March 27, 1948.
• Eaton, Sabrina. Bridge removal divides Ohio region. Cleveland Plain Dealer. 7 July 2005.