Wheeling Suspension Bridge

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Wheeling Suspension Bridge
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
View from the Wheeling Suspension Bridge from 1977.
Location:	Wheeling, West Virginia
Coordinates:	40°4′12.58″N 80°43′38.46″W / 40.0701611, -80.72735Coordinates: 40°4′12.58″N 80°43′38.46″W / 40.0701611, -80.72735
Built/Founded:	1849
Architect:	Charles Ellet Jr.; Washington Roebling
Architectural style(s):	Other
Designated as NHL:	May 15, 1975[1]
Added to NRHP:	January 26, 1970[2]
NRHP Reference#:	70000662
Governing body:	State

The Wheeling Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the East channel of the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia. It was the largest suspension bridge in the world from 1849 until the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge was opened in 1851. It was designed by Charles Ellet Jr.,

In 1854, a strong windstorm collapsed the deck of the bridge, forcing Ellet to rebuild it. Although it has been rebuilt numerous times since then (once by Ellett's partner William McComas, and later by William Hildenbrand), the bridge remains in active service.

The bridge spans a distance of 1,010 feet (308 m) across the Ohio River so as to allow boats to pass underneath it. It remains the oldest vehicular suspension bridge in the USA that is still in use. The bridge is listed as a National Historic Landmark and a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Contents 1 Weight Limits 2 References 3 See also 4 External links 5 Gallery

[edit] Weight Limits

The bridge was designed prior to the advent of the automobile. At the time of construction, a horse and buggy was the heaviest live load that would be expected. Currently, the bridge has a weight limit of 4000 lb (1814 kg), making it unsuitable for trucks, buses, or even some SUVs such as the Toyota Land Cruiser.^[3]

Traffic is advised to keep at least 50 feet (15 m) between vehicles. Additionally, traffic lights at both ends only allow a certain number of cars onto the bridge at one time.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• List of crossings of the Ohio River
• List of historic sites in Ohio County, West Virginia
• List of Registered Historic Places in West Virginia

[edit] External links

• Wheeling Suspension Bridge including pictures
• Wheeling Suspension Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels.
• Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record: Wheeling Suspension Bridge Page

[edit] Gallery

Flood of 1852 - Earliest known photograph of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge.[1]

A view of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge from Wheeling Island. Located directly behind it is the Fort Henry Bridge.

Bridges of the Ohio River Upstream Fort Henry Bridge Wheeling Suspension Bridge Downstream Interstate 470 Bridge

World's longest suspension bridge span Preceded by Zaehringen Bridge Wheeling Suspension Bridge 1849–1851 Superseded by Queenston-Lewiston Bridge

World's longest suspension bridge span Preceded by Queenston-Lewiston Bridge Wheeling Suspension Bridge 1864–1867 Superseded by John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge

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