1987 Truck US-23 Carl D. Perkins Memorial Bridge over Ohio River near Portsmouth, OH

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Street View, Nov 2017

I'm still finding extant cantilevered bridges across the Ohio River. I wonder if this 1987 bridge was the last cantilevered bridge built in the USA.

I knew central Texas was getting pounded by rain in July 2026, but I did not know that the Ohio River was also flooding.

Facebook Reel

Same Reel

STEVEN D, HUELSKAMP comment via ArchivedBridgeHunter
Here is a photo taken August 6, 2020.

I could not find this flood gate.

Same Reel

I did find the murals on the flood wall.

Street View, Nov 2024

1976,2008 I-79 Neville Island Bridge over Ohio River at Glenfield, PA

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; pghbridges; Satellite)

The bridge is 4,544' (1,385m) long with a 750' (227m) main span. [BridgeHunter]

This is the northern part of the bridge that goes over the navigation channel in the Ohio River.

Street View, May 2025

Turning around, we see the rest of the bridge to the south because these views are on a ramp that goes down to Neville Island.

Street View, May 2025

pghbridges
"TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION / DESIGN: steel through tied arch; deck girder approach spans and ramps"
This source specifies a length of 725' (221m) for the main span and it has a clearance of 68' (21m)
"The crossing at Neville Island was the final link in the 180-mile north-south Interstate 79."
"The main channel crossing is one of the few places where bicycles are allowed on an Interstate highway. Signs direct cyclists to stay on the shoulder. They are permitted only between the Glenfield (19) and Neville Island (18) exits."

pghbridges has a separate page for the Back Channel Bridge, i.e. the southern part.

pghbridges_back_channel

The back channel bridge gained worldwide notoriety in the winter of 1977. Only five months after a gala ribbon-cutting which opened the final link in the 180-mile Interstate 79, a 10-foot long crack in one of the bridge girders was noticed by a tow boat operator. The $50 million bridge was closed for three months while PennDOT made repairs.

The defects were blamed on an electroslag welding process. Other bridges built during this time, including the 1976 Birmingham Bridge over the Monongahela River, were also checked and repaired. The Federal Highway Administration prohibited further use of electroslag welding on all bridge tension members. Over the past 20 years, conventional processes, such as submerged arc welding and shielded metal arc welding, were used instead. A new technique Narrow Gap Improved Electroslag Welding (NGI-ESW) has been developed.

From the FHWA website: "Electroslag welding is a process used to join thick steel plates in a vertical position. A consumable guide bar is placed between the plates. This bar guides an electrode wire. The plates are joined together by melting the plate edges, the guide bar, and the electrode wire in a pool of molten metal shielded by a flux bath (slag). The flux is kept molten due to electrical resistance to the current passing through the slag."

"With NGI-ESW, the magnitude of electric current applied is much greater than in conventional electroslag welding, and the gap between the plates, and hence the amount of molten material used, is relatively small. This results in a higher welding speed."

More hairline cracks were found in the Neville Island girders in 1999. $1.8 million was budgeted for those repairs. Holes are bored at the ends of the cracks to relieve the strain and prevent the cracks from spreading further.

Pittsburgh Press Roto article, June 5, 1977:

view page - "The Award-Winning Bridge That Failed" by William Allan Jr.

[pghbridges_back_channel]

Facebook Reel

2008 US-50 Blennerhassett Island Bridge over Ohio River near Belpre, OH

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Street View, Aug 2022

The 4008' (1.2km) long bridge has a main span of 878' (268m). [BridgeHunter]

A.J. Bertin posted
The Blennerhassett Island Bridge carries U.S. 50 over the Ohio River and Blennerhassett Island between Belpre Township OH and Washington WV... just outside of Parkersburg, West Virginia. Pretty neat bridge. (I took this photo in April 2021 while I was passing through the area.)

"This is a network arch bridge- similar to a modern tied arch but more in common with a historic Bowstring truss with its diagonal hangers. Acts more like a truss than a tied arch under analysis." [Ian Anderson comment on ArchivedBridgeHunter]

"You mentioned the contractor, Walsh Construction, and to be complete, the designer, a joint design by Michael Baker Corporation and HNTB. I was the project manager for the design of the main span and plate girder approach spans and enjoyed the challenge of design of the second network tied arch on the North American Continent. The only other networked tied arch, currently, is on Interstate 195 in Rhode Island. The owner of the Blennerhassett bridge is the West Virginia Department of Transportation. It is now, according to my best information, the second longest networked tied arch bridge in the world. The longest was constructed in China just a few years previous to the opening of this structure although I have not personally been able to verify this information." [James Francisco commented on ArchivedBridgeHunter]

1958,1998 WV-7 Bridge over Ohio River at New Martinsville, WV

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Street View, Jun 2023

It is just downstream from the Hannibal Locks and Dam.

Street View, Jun 2023

BridgeHunter calls this a through truss. It is 2,100' (640m) long with a main span of 715' (218m).

Street View, Oct 2025

2002 US-231 William H. Natcher Bridge over Ohio River bypassing Owensboro, KY

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

This 4,505' (1,373m) long bridge has a main span of 1200' (366m). [BridgeHunter]

 

Street View, Aug 2012

Dan Murphy posted
William H. Natcher Bridge near Rockport, IN

rockportky_bridges

 

Mar 2015 Photo by Adam during the flooding via BridgeHunter

Facebook Reel

IUOE Community posted five photos with the comment:

If you’ve ever crossed the William H. Natcher bridge between Owensboro and Rockport, IUOE 181 helped make it happen. Building useful infrastructure and noticeable landmarks is just one thing that makes our work so rewarding..

.

Post Credit: IUOE Local 181

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Barrier Dam on Mill Creek in Cincinnati, OH

(Satellite)

This dam is part of the flood wall and levee system between Cincinnati and the Ohio River. When the Ohio River floods, the gate will be lowered so that the Ohio River can't flow up Mill Creek and flood the valley. I presume that the building houses pumps that allow Mill Creek to continue to flow into the Ohio River when the gate is down.

Street View, May 2025

Satellite

An example of the flood wall. The bridge is the Cincinnati Southern Bridge.

Street View, Jul 2022

Kevin's comment taught me about this dam.

Timeless Baseball Pics posted via Dennis DeBruler

Kevin Harmon: That picture is of the flooded Mill Creek. The flooded Ohio River backed up the Mill Creek. Later a dam was built across the mouth of the Mill Creek. It's called the Barrier Dam and prevents the river from backing up the creek.

1959,1994 PA-51 East Rochester-Monaca Bridge over Ohio River

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Street View, Sep 2024

Street View, Jul 2023

HistoricBridges
This cantilever bridge has a main span of 730' (222.5m) and a total length of 2,037' (621m).
"The bridge's central truss span has very short cantilever arms (only three panels), making the suspended span unusually long, occupying the majority of the central span with its fourteen panels."

Beaver County, Penna Historic Exploration posted

East Rochester- Monaca bridge

Dark blue bridge still in use

Completed 1959

Made to toll bridge 1973

2010 photo by Jason Smith via BridgeHunter

This bridge is in the background and the Rochester-Monaca Bridge is in the foreground.

Climbing Skies posted
Barges being brought back down the Ohio River and in between the E. Rochester / Monaca & Rochester / Monaca Bridges in Beaver County, PA. 

I think this photo is of this bridge. In general, the containers on the two cars in the left foreground carry garbage. Or sometimes contaminated dirt. Note that they are heavy enough that they can only put six containers on a car even though there is room for eight.

Climbing Skies posted
Train on the tracks and the old toll bridge spanning the Ohio River in Beaver County, PA.

This confirms that the above photo is of this bridge.

Climbing Skies posted
Looking down the Ohio River towards the East Rochester-Monaca (old toll) Bridge in Beaver County, PA. The bridge opened in 1959 and was tolled until 1973. 

The PA-18 Bridge is in the foreground.

Climbing Skies posted
Blue bridges spanning the Ohio River during the morning in Beaver County, PA

I-471 Daniel Carter Beard (Big Mac) Bridge damaged by playground fire at Cincinnati, OH

See Big Mac Bridge for the regular description of the bridge. These notes concentrate on the destruction of the north approach of the southbound lanes by a playground fire.

WLST posted three photos with the comment: "PHOTOS: Demolition work continues Monday as crews work to make repairs on Big Mac Bridge. (📷: ODOT)."

[As some comments pointed out, the beams did not melt; they buckled because they became too weak to hold their load. It takes significantly less heat to weaken steel than it does to melt it.]

Bridges & Tunnels shared with the comment: "Demolition work is under way on the Daniel Carter Beard “Big Mac” Bridge."

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The Google Maps label for the playground indicates that it is temporarily closed. Here are some before photos. It was built with a lot of plastic. And I wonder how flammable the mat material is.

Brett Stakelin, Jun 2024

It looks like they were lucky that the northbound lanes were not also destroyed.

Brett Stakelin, Jun 2024

Brett Stakelin, Jun 2024

Brett Stakelin, Jun 2024

Jan 19, 2025: the 7 new girders have been delivered and installed.

9:27 video @ 0:05

A clip from an ODOT video.

@ 2:01

Second I-75+I-71 Brent Spence Bridge over Ohio River at Cincinnati, OH

(Satellite)

This bridge is being built just downstream of the old bridge.

The Walsh Group posted two photos with the comment:

The design of the companion bridge for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project has been unveiled, marking a major milestone in the 8-mile infrastructure transformation that will enhance safety, reduce congestion, and reconnect communities across Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky! 

The cable-stayed design, selected for its function, aesthetics, and cost efficiency, will create a new regional landmark while easing one of the nation’s most critical freight bottlenecks.

With federal approval of the bridge type now in place, the Walsh Construction - Kokosing Construction design-build team will advance the project into final engineering and construction. The new companion bridge will carry I-71 and I-75 traffic, while the existing Brent Spence Bridge will be reconfigured for local use, delivering long-anticipated improvements to mobility, safety, and economic growth throughout the corridor. https://brentspencebridgecorridor.com/governors-dewine.../

Mike Hilgendorf: Breaking ground 2050!!

Mike Tierney: Mike Hilgendorf I heard that last night.

I believe the current bridge will collapse by then.

I did hear the current bridge is in better condition than the public realizes.

Got that Intel from a reliable source.

Mark Schauer: I don’t hate it. Just wish they’d demo the ugly old one afterwards. [This is the first time I've seen someone call a truss bridge ugly.]

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BrentSpenceBridgeCorridor

BrentSpenceBridgeCorridor_media

I was about to skip over the exaggerated "we have a problem part" when I noticed this image. It looks like the bridge has been shutdown for a while at least once for an expensive repair. He starts talking about the replacement at 2:59.

8:03 video @ 1:15
America's WORST Traffic Bottleneck Gets a $3.6 BILLION Makeover

@ 3:15

The new bridge will handle the through traffic (as he keeps saying: Michigan to Florida), and the old bridge will handle the local traffic. 160,000 "cars" per day

@ 3:58

The old bridge is getting a full structural rehabilitation.

@ 4:26

@ 5:46

Sep 11, 2026:

WLWT posted, cropped
The Ohio River is closed to boat traffic near the Brent Spence Bridge after a crane on a barge made contact with a power line early Friday morning, officials said.
Kyle Mullikin: 345kv
https://www.wlwt.com/article/ohio-river-closed-to-boat-traffic-brent-spence-bridge-crane-power-line/73691086
"Officials said no one was injured. There are no street closures, and the Brent Spence Bridge remains open to vehicle traffic."