Parkersburg Bridge (CSX)

The Parkersburg Bridge crosses the Ohio River between Parkersburg, West Virginia, and Belpre, Ohio. Designed by Jacob Linville, the bridge has 46 spans: 25 deck plate girder, 14 deck truss, 6 through truss, and 1 through plate girder. 50,000 cubic yards (38,000 m3) of stone were used for the 53 piers. The bridge was constructed from May 1869 to January 1871 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. At the time of its completion, the bridge was reportedly the longest in the world at 7,140 feet (2,180 m).[2][3]

1893
Parkersburg Bridge
The Parkersburg-Belpre Bridge (foreground), the CSX Bridge (middle ground), and the Memorial Bridge (background), crossing the Ohio River, as viewed from Point Park in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
Coordinates39°16′15.5″N 81°33′56.5″W
CarriesCSX Transportation
CrossesOhio River
LocaleParkersburg, West Virginia
Official nameParkersburg Bridge
Maintained byCSX Transportation
Characteristics
Designtruss bridge
Total length7,140 feet (2,180 m)
History
Opened1871
Sixth Street Railroad Bridge
Sixth Street Railroad Bridge, 1973
Location6th Street, Parkersburg, West Virginia
Coordinates39°16′2″N 81°33′32″W
Area0.8 acres (0.32 ha)
BuiltMay 18, 1869 – January 7, 1871
ArchitectPorter, W. E.
MPSDowntown Parkersburg MRA
NRHP reference No.82001785[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 10, 1982

The approach spans were replaced 1898–1900, and the river spans were replaced 1904–1905. The original piers were retained. The steel structure atop the piers was rebuilt between about 1914 and 1917. One channel span was replaced in 1972 after a barge transporting an empty gasoline tanker[4] exploded under the bridge.[2][3]

The bridge was a part of the B&O's Baltimore – St. Louis mainline and offered the railroad easy access to Ohio in transporting coal and other materials to the east coast. Currently the bridge handles traffic on CSX Transportation's Marietta Subdivision.[3]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 under the name Sixth Street Railroad Bridge.[1] At the time of the listing, the bridge was still owned by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.[2]

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Eliza Smith and Christina Mann (December 1981). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Sixth Street Railroad Bridge" (PDF). State of West Virginia, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
  3. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Parkersburg Bridge, Ohio River, Parkersburg, Wood County, WV Historic American Engineering Record, accessed 22 August 2012
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-28. Retrieved 2016-08-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  • Track Chart, August 1947; Baltimore & Ohio System, Eastern Region, Monongah Division, Office of the Chief Engineer
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