It should come as no surprise to any regular reader of this column that my job sometimes gives me the opportunity to do things that other people just don’t get the chance to do.

Such was the case as we prepared the series of stories that has been featured on the front pages of our weekend editions this month. It focuses on the long-closed Bellaire Bridge. Working with Emma Delk, a member of the Wheeling Newspapers’ staff, we were able to examine many aspects of the bridge’s history, ownership and potential future.

As part of that effort, we obviously needed to see for ourselves just what kind of condition the bridge is actually in. So, we made some calls and arranged to visit the span.

After we received permission from Benwood Police Chief Frank Longwell, Emma and I met at the ramp to the bridge on the West Virginia side of the Ohio River. Officials unlocked the gate that blocks access to the potentially dangerous structure and invited us to take a look.

Escorted by Benwood Director of Public Works and Development David McLaughlin, we walked up the ramp, taking photos and chatting about what we saw as we went.

I have known McLaughlin for many years, having been a bureau chief in Marshall County for three years while he worked as a police officer. So, we were comfortable talking with each other, and I learned a lot.

For instance, he told me that a bald eagle has been spotted on the bridge. It’s a perfect spot for such a regal bird if you think about it. The bridge reaches high ito the sky with its spires, its superstructure is a complex tangle of metal beams that creates lots of nooks and crannies for nest building, and it is undisturbed by visitors, providing a bird of prey with an isolated spot high above the water where it can hunt for fish and other game.

I had visited the bridge before 10 or 12 years ago. It was amazing to see how much more it had deteriorated since then. Rather than an isolated tree growing here and there on the deck, the pavement had folded and become covered in small trees and brush.

Large pieces of sheet metal have now peeled loose from the side walls of the ramp. Points where sections of the bridge deck or railings connect to one another show gaps, demonstrating how the bridge has shifted.

In some areas, gaps in the pavement or concrete surface of the deck reveal rusting hunks of rebar below.

But the experience wasn’t all about decay. I never drove across the former toll bridge before it closed in 1991, but I do remember riding across it as a passenger in my brother’s car, usually on our way home from private music lessons in Wheeling. Standing on the bridge that day a few weeks ago brought those memories back, and I also took some time to appreciate the beauty that could be found there.

Looking north from the bridge deck, I could see the broad expanse of the Ohio River below and the southern tip of Wheeling Island. Commerce was evident in the numerous barges and towboats on the water.

Looking up, I spotted what may have been that eagle’s nest. But I also saw the architectural elements that made the bridge, opened in 1922, a beautiful sight at one time.

Gazing straight down, i appreciated the pretty pattern of the metal grate that makes up the bulk of the bridge’s deck above the river. And I watched the current below, always pushing everything in its path from north to south.

And off the southern side of the bridge, I could see what remains of the steel mills that once kept Benwood humming.

It was a day to remember, and one that I know I was fortunate to experience.

Some days I just have to say that I love my job.