Super 8 Wheeling

Wheeling Suspension Bridge

by Toughluck

Wheeling and the National Road is home to one of the greatest engineering achievements in American History. The nearly 170 year old Wheeling Suspension Bridge is the oldest operating suspension bridge in the world. The bridge was the first to span a main channel of the Ohio River (1). In 1836, a two span covered bridge opened over the back channel of the Ohio in Wheeling. This bridge crossed at the site of an 1893 truss and modern day bridge that carries Route 40 over the back channel to this day! (2) The Bridge

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.

• Rebuilt, 1854 after it was wrecked by a windstorm. Contrary to popular myth, the rebuilding was undertaken by Ellet and his assistant William K. McComas, not by John A. Roebling.
• Overhauled, 1860. Again, popular myth often attributes this work to the Roeblings. WHSB attributes this work to William K. McComas. After this overhaul, the bridge still does not have the distinctive diagonal cable stays that give it the appearance of a Roebling bridge.
• Overhauled, 1872, according to a design by Washington Roebling. John A. Roebling had died in 1869 and was not involved with this work. WHSB notes, "The design essentially Roeblingized the bridge with the diagonal cable stays that are such a prominent feature of the bridge. Bridgemiester

Crossing the Ohio

by Toughluck

Here the National Road crossed the Ohio River. Originally, it would have been a ferry. Today, traffic literally flies over the river.
Fort Henry Bridge
Carries: 4 lanes of I-70/US 40/250
Crosses: Ohio River
Design Tied arch bridge
Opening date: September 8, 1955

Post-industrial Wheeling

by yooperprof

Wheeling is a place that had its heydey 80 years, and has been in decline for a very long time. There are some interesting attractions, like the Dogtrack on Wheeling Island and the "Wheeling Jamboree." There are still families here who live in their beautiful mansions up the pike along the National Road and who are tremendously proud of their heritage. But industry - iron and nails - has left, and thousands of people have left as well. Much of the place feels empty, and there is not a lot for young people to do here except get out. (Thankfully, Pittsburgh is just an hour away.) I lived in Wheeling for a year in the early 1990s. That was enough. I was glad to leave Wheeling for the cultural sophistication and the vibrancy of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

But I did have a great apartment in Wheeling - it was the best thing about being there. It was on the third floor of a tastefully restored townhouse downtown, with great views of the Ohio River from my back porch balcony. Rents in Wheeling are low, and there are lots of beautiful old buildings.

"The Grand Ohio River"

This was the view from the rear porch and balcony in back of my apartment in Wheeling. I found it endlessly fascinating to watch the barges bringing cargos up and down the River.