Dear Editor,

It has been reported recently by the West Virginia Department of Transportation that the $17.9 million project to rehabilitate the historic Wheeling suspension bridge also known as the “Gateway to the West” has been successfully completed.

It is now anticipated that a formal decision will be made hopefully soon as to whether the structure will once again be permitted to support the vehicular traffic as it has done so very successfully for many decades or that may serve exclusively as a pedestrian walkway.

Work originally began on the construction of the Wheeling suspension bridge in 1847 under the supervision of the iconic bridge builder Charles Elliott Jr (1810-1862) and was completed in 1849 at a cost of $250,000 and until its closing to vehicular traffic in September of 2019 the Wheeling Suspension Bridge had been listed as the oldest working bridge in the Western Hemisphere and in 1980 was officially inducted into the national registry of historic places.

It has also been reported that the suspension bridge which spans 1010 feet and connects the city of Wheeling with Wheeling island will be even more highlighted as a historically significant structure as when the Wheeling gateway visitors and heritage center will be constructed to replace the Wheeling in that the iconic suspension bridge will be significantly more visible from Main St. and will be promoted a great deal further as a very significant tourist destination that will attract even more people to visit the city of Wheeling.

In addition, the historic Aetnaville bridge also known as the Georgia Street Bridge which connects Wheeling Island with Aetnaville, Ohio that was erected in 1891 closed to vehicular traffic in 1988 and later also closed to pedestrian traffic in 2016 is scheduled for demolition due to safety concerns circa July 28, 2025.

Hopefully the Aetnaville bridge will be replaced if not by a bridge that would permit vehicular traffic, then perhaps a footbridge for pedestrian traffic would be considered with plaques located on each side of the Ohio River to commemorate the details regarding the storied history of the legendary edifice.

Richard Hord

Martins Ferry