(
Archived Historic Bridges;
Historic Bridges;
Satellite, 54 photos)
The main span is 743' (226m). "The bridge has been noted as one of the first suspension bridges to have been built entirely of steel as opposed to wrought iron. This is not the result of anything spectacular, it is merely a function of its 1905 construction date. Prior to 1900 wrought iron was widely used for metal highway bridges because it was less expensive. During that time steel was also produced but was used for railroad rails where the stronger steel was a requirement, and this drove up the prices of steel, while wrought iron remained affordable. However, after 1900, steel became readily available and wrought iron quickly became a thing of the past." [
HistoricBridges]
I'm reminded that there are a lot of trees in the eastern US. But this view is good enough to determine that it is a suspension bridge.
Since a tree is dead, we can almost see the far tower as well as the close one. There were no views taken during the Winter when the leaves would be off all of the trees.
This is the first suspension bridge I remember seeing where the deck truss has a variable depth.
The towers have enough character that they are worth emphasizing.
I learned of this bridge because it was mentioned as a "limited detour" when the
Chester Bridge closed for about a month on Dec 11, 2023. The official detour for the Chester Bridge outage was all the way south to the
Veterans Memorial Bridge at Weirton, WV. The clearance, weight limit and speed are reasons why it is limited. Looking at a map, another reason is that side streets would have to be used to get to the bridge from US-30. Complaints by local officials that the bridge outage impacts first response units is valid. Fire trucks would not be able to cross this bridge. (The local officials learned how to cooperate and help each other during the outage.)
Because the Chester Bridge carried 10,000 vehicles a day, the load on this bridge tripled after the outage. "Frank Six, owner of the Newell Bridge and Railway Company, had requested the precautionary inspection although it had passed one in October to determine if its 10-ton weight limit was still appropriate as the bridge now is getting fully loaded with cars on both sides." The inspectors found no problems. [
MorningJournalNews]
Hopefully some state DOT's will recognize that this bridge is proof that if a bridge is well maintained, it will easily last over 100 years. (118 years and counting)
 |
BusinessJournalDaily
"Wayne Six cuts the ribbon, officially changing the name of the Newell Bridge as his nephew, Frank Six, and other family members look on."
It was renamed The Wayne Six Toll Bridge on July 4, 2023, to honor the man who has maintained it for the last 56 years. His nephew, Frank Six, bought the bridge and now maintains it. Frank was the one that decided to change the name to honor Wayne. |
"The bridge's stiffening trusses have two styles of sway bracing that changes from every other panel. One is v-laced design whose height tapers at each end, and the other is made of two lightweight beams that also has attractive curved knee bracing curling above and below the lower beams, and below the upper beam. The merger of the upper beam's knee bracing and the upper knee brace of the lower sway bracing beam create a half-circle appearance. There is also a couple spots where there is a third built-up box beam acting as sway bracing." [
HistoricBridges]
Chris Lawrence commented on a
post: "This bridge was built by the Homer Laughlin China Company of what would become Newel WV and at one time was the largest china factory in the world. The bridge still stands and is now owned by the Six Family who have done the maintenance on it for years before owning it. Homer Laughlin is also still in business as the maker of Fiesta Ware China."
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