Bridges & Tunnels by Sherman Cahal

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Bridges & Tunnels by Sherman Cahal

Bridges & Tunnels is a record of historic or notable infrastructure, including bridges, tunnels, ferries, and highways.

05/29/2026

The Dunlap Creek Bridge in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, carried the National Road across the narrow section of the city known as The Neck. Completed in 1839 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it is recognized as the first cast-iron metal arch bridge in the United States. Altered in 1922, it nevertheless remained one of the most significant engineering survivals on the route. Recent preservation work has sought to restore its historic appearance while stabilizing the structure for the future.

🔗 More photographs and history can be found in the link in the comments.

05/27/2026

At Brownsville, Pennsylvania, the National Road reached one of its most important crossings at the Monongahela River. Early travelers relied on ferries before the Monongahela Bridge Company completed a three-span covered bridge in 1833, later replaced in 1914 by a toll-free bridge built to meet federal navigation requirements. A northern bypass opened in 1962.

🔗 More photographs and history can be found in the link in the comments.

05/25/2026

This S bridge was constructed in 1818 along the National Road in Washington County, Pennsylvania. Built with twin stone arch spans, it was bypassed in 1929 when U.S. Route 40 was realigned, a project that required the removal of its western approach. The bridge was otherwise preserved, though the loss remains visible today in the abrupt, truncated end of the crossing.

🔗 More photographs and history can be found in the link in the comments.

05/22/2026

Adjacent to Wheeling Park in Wheeling, West Virginia, and Beallsville, Pennsylvania, stands one of the twelve Madonna of the Trail monuments commissioned by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) for the National Old Trails Road. Dedicated on July 7, 1928, before an estimated crowd of 5,000, the monument linked the National Road to a broader memory of westward migration and the pioneer experience. Like the road itself, it serves both as a marker of movement across the landscape and as a symbol of the nation’s expansion.

🔗 More photographs and narrative can be found in the link in the comments.

05/20/2026

The Monument Place Bridge carries the National Road and U.S. Route 40 over Little Wheeling Creek in Wheeling, West Virginia. It is the oldest bridge in the state. Built when the United States was only 41 years old, it also predates the creation of West Virginia by 46 years. The bridge took its name from nearby Monument Place, where a memorial to Henry Clay commemorated his support for the construction of the National Road.

The bridge was recently restored through a project that replaced the backfill, repaired or replaced deteriorated stone, and reconstructed the roadway deck.

🔗 More photographs and history can be found in the link in the comments.

05/18/2026

The Wheeling Suspension Bridge should be better preserved now that it has been closed to automobiles and retained for pedestrian use. Repeated incursions by overweight vehicles had damaged the crossing, including bus strikes in 2016 and 2019, and the bridge was ultimately closed to vehicular traffic in September 2019 after continued violations of its restrictions.

Completed in 1849, the bridge carried the National Road over the Ohio River and was the first major suspension bridge in the United States, creating a fixed crossing between Wheeling Island and downtown Wheeling. Its construction followed years of debate over river navigation, and the resulting litigation helped establish that bridges could be built over navigable waters. The original span collapsed in 1854 after severe torsional and vertical movement, but a replacement bridge of similar design opened in 1859 and was strengthened by major modifications in 1871–72 and subsequent repairs. By the 20th century, it had become both an engineering landmark and an increasingly fragile historic structure, leading to its present role as an active pedestrian bridge.

🔗 More photographs and history can be found in the link in the comments.

05/15/2026

The Blaine Hill S Bridge in Belmont County, Ohio, is one of the oldest sandstone bridges in the state. Built in 1826, it was bypassed by the Blaine Hill Viaduct in 1933 and preserved through a community-led effort. Reconstruction work was carried out in 2000 to prevent the western approach from collapsing.

This unique crossing was designated as Ohio’s Official Bicentennial Bridge in 2003.

🔗 More photographs and history can be found in the link in the comments.

05/13/2026

Belmont County, Ohio, has restored two National Road arch bridges in recent years.

One is the 1825 stone arch bridge over Barkcamp Creek, which carried U.S. Route 40 until it was bypassed in 1940 and restored in 2015. The other, which crosses a branch of Wheeling Creek in Lloydsville, was restored that same year.

🔗 More photographs and history can be found in the link in the comments.

05/11/2026

Earlier alignments of the National Road and U.S. Route 40 in eastern Ohio can still be found, if you know where to look.

🔗 More photographs and narrative can be found in the link in the comments.

05/08/2026

During World War I and around 1919, massive efforts were made to brick sections of the National Road (later U.S. Route 40) to support heavy military traffic, transforming it from a "muddy track" into a durable highway. Several of these segments remain intact in eastern Ohio.

🔗 More photographs and narrative can be found in the link in the comments.

05/06/2026

The Salt Fork S Bridge, built in 1828 east of Old Washington, , is one of the distinctive masonry spans constructed for the National Road, the nation’s first federally funded interstate highway and a vital route for westward travel and commerce.

Its unusual S-shaped design eased approaches and protected the structure from erosion, while its later brick paving in 1919 reflected the continued importance of the road into the automobile era. Bypassed in 1932 and saved from replacement in 1936, the bridge was rehabilitated in 2005.

🔗 More photographs and history can be found in the link in the comments.

Address

Lindsey & 5th St
Columbus, IN
47201

Website

http://www.bridgestunnels.com/

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