Photo by Emma Delk Director of Public Works and Development for the City of Benwood David McLaughlin fears a metal piece of the barriers may fall off the bridge and hit a passerby on a windy day.

Editor’s note: This is part of a series of articles examining the status of the Bellaire Bridge, which formerly operated as a toll bridge spanning the Ohio River between Bellaire and Benwood. The bridge has been closed for more than 30 years with no viable plan in place for its removal.

BENWOOD — Officials in Benwood have concerns regarding the structural integrity of the Bellaire Bridge that they cannot address due to the span being under private ownership.

According to Benwood Police Chief Frank Longwell, there is no official body monitoring the bridge, and the structure is not insured. Benwood police officers do “keep an eye on it,” he noted.

During the Benwood Police Department’s most recent inspection of the bridge in the summer of 2023, Longwell discovered the structure’s concrete was “really spongy,” with trees growing out of it.

Pieces of concrete are falling off the bridge ramp leading up to the main section of the bridge. The concrete deck of the section of the bridge that stretches over a portion of the city is the part of the span that worries Longwell the most, deeming it to be in “pretty bad shape.”

“I’m assuming the concrete keeps freezing and thawing,” Longwell said. “We always worry about someone getting hit with a piece of stone.”

Longwell also noted the steel body of the bridge that sits over the Ohio River is rusting.

David McLaughlin, director of public works and development for the city of Benwood, has been involved with the bridge as a city official since 2003. He has witnessed the structure’s decline firsthand.

While giving a tour of the bridge this past January, McLaughlin drew attention to trees and grass growing up from the asphalt-covered concrete section over the water. McLaughlin attributed the greenery on the structure to the concrete freezing and thawing over the years, creating cracks where plants could take root.

The weakening of the bridge’s deck has caused pieces of concrete to fall off the bridge. The Ohio River can be seen through holes surrounding the bridge’s support beams made by concrete chipping off into the water. Holes can also be found in the concrete sidewalk of the steel section of the bridge as well.

In some spots where concrete and asphalt have separated, the rusty metal rebar structure beneath can be seen.

The Benwood Police Department does clean up smaller pieces of concrete that fall off the structure over land, according to Longwell.

Sections of the sheet metal barrier on the bridge’s deck are also peeling off or have completely fallen off and now sit on the concrete deck. McLaughlin fears one particularly windy day may cause one of these loose metal pieces to be blown off the bridge.

McLaughlin and Longwell believe a price cannot be put on the cost of a life lost or an injury incurred due to a piece of sheet metal or concrete falling off the bridge.

“We’re always worried about the integrity of the concrete slab on our side because it goes over our city,” Longwell said. “You have city buses, school buses and lots of different folks traveling under it.”

McLaughlin noted that if Eighth Street, which sits under the bridge, had to be shut down due to the structure collapsing, residents could use other roads to “go around” the closure. However, the industrial park under the bridge would be inaccessible. Its only entrance is on Eighth Street.

“It would be a nightmare if we had to shut the bridge down with the businesses under it,” said Longwell. “All we can do is wait and see at this point, and I can’t see anybody stepping in to help.”

On top of pieces falling off of the bridge, an even larger concern looms in McLaughlin’s mind — the half-inch gap between the concrete deck and the steel bridge. To him, this height difference signals a much greater structural failure occurring.

All signs of wear and tear on the bridge, as well as structural concerns, are left unaddressed by any city, state or federal body due to the bridge being under the private ownership of Lee Chaklos and closed to all traffic.

The West Virginia Department of Transportation typically inspects publicly owned highway bridges that are opened to traffic every 24 months, according to WVDOH State Bridge Engineer Stacy Brown.

Since the Bellaire Bridge is closed to traffic, the WVDOH also does not monitor whether it falls in accordance with National Bridges Inspection Standards.

Those standards include an evaluation of the physical condition of the concrete deck, steel bridge, foundation and supporting posts of a bridge. General condition ratings range from zero to nine, with any bridge receiving a rating of four or less classified poor.

If a “critical deficiency” is discovered during an inspection that is deemed “an immediate safety issue to the traveling public,” according to Brown, the structure would be immediately closed to all traffic until the situation could be “appropriately addressed.”

Longwell said the city of Benwood does not have any engineers on its staff who could study the structural integrity of the bridge. He added that the only monitoring method the city has is to “walk out on the deck and see how it’s in bad shape.”

Though state and federal governing bodies have no obligation to inspect the bridge, McLaughlin is “almost certain” either would “step in for safety purposes” if the structure collapsed.

“If the bridge collapsed, I am sure the federal or state government would remove what has fallen and then litigate who’s paying for it after the fact,” McLaughlin said. “I don’t foresee either body saying, ‘Well, we’re not paying for it, so we’re not cleaning it up.'”

The U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have said they would also assist in clearing a path for waterway travel in the Ohio River if the bridge collapsed.

McLaughlin and Longwell feel the city’s hands are tied regarding the matter. McLaughlin explained that the state and federal officials they have contacted have not been receptive to lending a hand to take down the bridge.

“Myself and city of Benwood officials have done everything in our power other than tearing the bridge down ourselves, which we can’t do,” McLaughlin said. “No state, federal or county official is coming up here saying, ‘Let’s do something about the bridge.'” Only city officials are involved, and there are no more steps available for us other than to hope nobody gets hurt.”