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The bridge was a part of the B&O's Baltimore – St. Louis mainline and offered the railroad easy access to Ohio in transporting coal and other materials to the east coast. Currently the bridge handles the traffic of the Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad.
The B&O Railroad's first bridge across the Ohio River, built in 1857, served a rail line through Parkersburg, West Virginia. But the growing center of Chicago, Illinois, made a span between Benwood, West Virginia, and Bellaire more desirable. In 1865, the B&O obtained the Central Ohio Railroad and later the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark Railroad.
Jacob Linville designed the railroad bridge planned by the B&O. It was constructed in 1868–1870 between Parkersburg and Belpre, Ohio, as part of the B&O's main line from Baltimore to St. Louis, Missouri. [8] This drew traffic and trade from Marietta. Today the structure is known as the Parkersburg Bridge.
The bridge was completed in 1980. The bridge had been signed U.S. Route 50 (US 50) until June 13, 2008, when that highway was re-routed to the Blennerhassett Island Bridge a few miles to the west, as part of the completion of the Corridor D project around Parkersburg. The American Discovery Trail uses the bridge to cross the Ohio River. [1]
The short piece of the Marietta Subdivision from Moore Junction northeast to Harmar (part of Marietta) opened in 1857 as part of the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad. [6] The Union Railroad, from Moore Junction south to Belpre, opened in 1860. [7] The Parkersburg Bridge opened in 1871, connecting Belpre to the B&O's Parkersburg Branch. [8]
In 1870, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad completed the Parkersburg Bridge (CSX) across the river; at 7,140 feet (2,180 m), it was reportedly the longest in the world.
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Parkersburg–Belpre Bridge: SR 32 / WV 618: Belpre and Parkersburg: 1980 Parkersburg CSX Bridge: CSX Transportation Marietta Subdivision: Belpre and Parkersburg 1871, 1905 Memorial Bridge: Belpre and Parkersburg 1954 Williamstown Bridge: SR 60 / WV 31