Pomeroy–Mason Bridge

The Bridge of Honor, commonly known as the Pomeroy–Mason Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge over the Ohio River between the American cities of Pomeroy, Ohio and Mason, West Virginia.[3] With construction being carried out by the C.J. Mahan Construction Company and overseen by the Ohio Department of Transportation, it was completed on December 30, 2008.[4][5] Ownership of the bridge was transferred to the West Virginia Division of Highways upon completion.[1] The crossing carries Ohio State Route 833 and West Virginia Route Spur 62.

Pomeroy–Mason Bridge
View of bridge from West Virginia side
Coordinates	39°00′48″N 82°02′29″W
Carries	4 lanes of WV 62 Spur/ SR 833 & 1 sidewalk
Crosses	Ohio River
Locale	Pomeroy, Ohio/Mason, West Virginia
Official name	Bridge of Honor
Maintained by	West Virginia Division of Highways[1]
Characteristics
Design	Cable Stayed
Material	Concrete
Total length	1,852 ft (564 m)
Width	77 ft (23 m)
Height	248 ft (76 m)
Longest span	675 ft (206 m)
No. of spans	10
Piers in water	2
Clearance below	74 ft (23 m)
History
Designer	URS Corp[2]
Construction start	2003
Construction end	2008
Opened	December 30, 2008

Aerial view of the bridge and surroundings

Construction issues

The bridge was originally scheduled to open in 2006. However, numerous unforeseen issues delayed the construction. Although work began in 2003, river flooding, poor soil stability, a rock slide, and potentially problematic formwork all caused setbacks in the building process. The final cost of the bridge was approximately US$65,000,000.[6]

At night, the bridge is illuminated by purple lights shining on the cables and towers.[7]

Former bridge

Constructed in 1928, the two-lane Cantilever bridge span once carried U.S. Highway 33. In 2003, it was renumbered to State Route 833 when US 33 was relocated along a new super-two highway to the Ravenswood Bridge. The original two-lane span's center span was demolished on at 8:49 a.m. EDT on April 21, 2009, with several hundred spectators viewing from the Pomeroy levee. The demolition was also broadcast live via an Internet feed on WSAZ from Huntington, West Virginia. An eight-year-old boy was selected to press the detonation button. River traffic was halted for twenty-four hours to allow for clean-up.[8] The remainder of the bridge was removed by June 2009. The cost to remove the center span was approximately $1 million US.

See also

• List of crossings of the Ohio River

References

1. Sergent, Beth (July 31, 2015). "Commission wants Bridge of Honor issue addressed". Point Pleasant Register. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2009-02-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
3. http://www.dailymail.com/News/200812300092%5B%5D
4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-04-18. Retrieved 2009-02-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
5. http://www.allbusiness.com/transportation/transportation-infrastructure/11760903-1.html
6. http://www.huntingtonnews.net/state/081230-staff-statebridgeopening.html
7. "Decorative lights again illuminate Ohio River bridge in Pomeroy". Columbus Dispatch. March 16, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
8. http://www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/D10/newsreleases/Pages/Pomeroy-MasonBridge.aspx

External links

• Pomeroy-Mason Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels
• Pomeroy-Mason Bridge at Historic Bridges of Michigan and Elsewhere