West Virginia, Ohio County, WheelingThe Wheeling Suspension Bridge, designed and erected by Charles Ellet, Jr., was completed in 1849. Known as the "Gateway to the West," the bridge was the first to cross the Ohio River carrying people and products to the West along the National Road. It was the longest suspension bridge in the world, 1010 feet at the time it was constructed. The bridge held that distinction until the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883. Called "the father of American suspension bridges," it is the oldest vehicular suspension bridge in the world that is still being used.
The great 1849 suspension bridge at Wheeling extended the National Road west, bringing people and goods to the city. At the northernmost navigable part on the Ohio River, overland routes, river traffic, and railroads converged, attracting entrepreneurs who manufactured iron, steel, nails, textiles, glass, tobacco, and other goods.
(Bridges & Viaducts) Includes location, directions, 7 photos, GPS coordinates, map.