Carries 4 lanes of I-470 ID number 00000000035A123 Opened 1983 Longest span 239 m Bridge type Tied-arch bridge | Crosses Ohio River Design Tied-arch bridge Total length 409 m Location Bridgeport Body of water Ohio River | |
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Locale Bridgeport, Ohio and Wheeling, West Virginia Official name Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge Similar Ohio River, Fort Henry Bridge, Marietta–Williamstown Interstate Bridge, Moundsville Bridge, Bellaire Bridge | ||
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge is a four-lane arch-suspension bridge in the United States. It carries Interstate 470 over the Ohio River between Bridgeport, Ohio and Wheeling, West Virginia.
History
Construction on the tied-arch bridge began in 1975, and was scheduled to be completed by 1981. Construction was not completed on time due to the Ohio Department of Transportation's delays on Ohio State Route 7 along the western shores of the river. The estimated cost to construct the span was about $54 million. During construction of the span it was dubbed the "bridge to nowhere" as the bridge did not connect to the Ohio segment of I-470. In 1981, frays in the vertical hanger cables delayed the opening of the bridge, which was scheduled to open in July 1981.
The opening of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge, along with another bridge in nearby Moundsville was thought to have reduced the amount of traffic, and thus tolls collected by the nearby Bellaire Bridge by up to 50 percent in 1987.