Friday, August 28, 2009

Design set for new bridge at Ironton OH


It looks like Ironton OH and Russell KY will be joining the list of Ohio River cities with new cable stay bridges.

According to a story in The Ironton Tribune, officials of the Ohio Department of Transportation told the Ironton City Council on Thursday about plans to build a cable stay bridge with two towers. It will replace the steel truss bridge now in service. That bridge was built in 1922. It was the first highway bridge over the Ohio between Wheeling WV and Cincinnati.

The story did not say whether the new bridge will be similar in design to the new U.S. Grant Bridge at Portsmouth OH or the new Bridge of Honor between Pomeroy OH and Mason WV.

According to the story, ODOT wanted to build a single-tower bridge, but that plan was too expensive. As far as I know, the only single-tower cable stay bridges over the Ohio are at Huntington WV/Proctorville OH and Weirton WV/Steubenville OH.

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The Bridge of Honor:


The U.S. Grant Bridge:

The Frank "Gunner" Gatski Memorial Bridge, a horrible name not used locally. Instead, locals call it the East End bridge or the 31st Street bridge: