Bridge, hazardous, in danger of collapse

The tragic collapse of the bridge in Minnesota is only the tip of the iceberg, when it comes to the aging US infrastructure. The West Orange Road Bridge in Delaware County, Ohio, is an example of a calamity about to happen. It is listed among the nation's top at risk historic bridges. It is also rated as "structurally deficient" in Ohio and labeled in "critical shape" after a yearly inspection. It is also dangerous because it is a one-lane bridge in an area of high traffic (connecting heavily traveled Rts. 23 and 315) and rapid development.

The historic and beautiful bridge, on the National Register of Historic Places, over the Olentangy River, was built in 1898 by the Toledo Bridge Company. Its west end abutments are the original sandstone. It retains a remarkable amount of historic integrity, which includes the original floor beams, lattice railings, and the builder and commissioner plaques. It is a nine-panel structure with a deck consisting of timber with a bituminous surface. The bridge is 182 feet long and 16 feet wide. It is uncommon to find such a traditional late 19th century pin-connected Pratt truss at this length.

It is located on the Olentangy Scenic River on Orange Road in the Olentangy Heritage Corridor (Ohio Scenic Byway) in southern
Delaware County in an area where the rural world intersects the urban Columbus, Ohio, area in a very upscale region. The Olentangy River here teems with wildlife--screeching red-tail hawks, crow, deer, and riparian vegetation including huge old trees (which are shown and rapidly disappearing). On the hills overlooking the valley is some of the most upscale housing in the region. Some of these estates have private landing strips, lakes, and further south along the river, private boat docks.

This is not the only dangerous bridge in Ohio. One well-known collapse was the towering suspension Point Pleasant (Silver) Bridge between Ohio and West Virginia, which in the Christmas holiday season of 1967, dropped into the Ohio River. Thirty-seven vehicles were crossing the bridge and forty-six people died. This is still considered the nation's worst highway-bridge disaster. It was built in 1928 as a two-lane eye-bar suspension type bridge, 2,235 ft in length. It was called the 'Silver Bridge' because it was the nation's first aluminum painted bridge.

In addition, the silver bridge may have more American legends attached to it than any other bridge. After the collapse, many questioned why the bridge would suddenly drop into the river. Three reasons commonly heard were: 1 A "Sonic Boom" just before the collapse, 2 The "Curse of Chief Cornstalk," and 3 structural failure. Many people reported a "Sonic Boom" at about the time, or just before, the bridge fell. Older residents associated it with the "The Curse of Cornstalk." The 1774 Battle of Point Pleasant took place here. The Native American commander was Chief Cornstalk. Chief Cornstalk signed the Treaty of Camp Charlotte, near to where John Purdue once lived. Legend says that in his dying words, Chief Cornstalk placed a curse of death and destruction upon the Point Pleasant area. Another noted Native American, Tecumseh, lost his father during this battle, when Tecumseh was very young. Tecumseh later put forth several prophesies about the nation that have come true.

Another legend associated with the Point Pleasant collapse is the Moth Man Prophacy. Many odd occurrences were said to have foretold this disaster. A TV special tells about two "Men In Black," who were seen near the bridge the day before its collapse. John Keel arrived at Point Pleasant in December 1966 and began collecting reports of a strange bird or flying bat-like person, having red eyes, that they called Moth man. Moth man was perhaps the strangest creature to ever grace the chronicles of weirdness in America. It sometimes followed people down the highway to Point Pleasant. Keel described these events in the Moth Man Prophecies. The prophecies became true when the bridge collapsed. In the later movie about the events, Richard Gere, played John Keel. Many people, and even animals such as horses, have a fear of crossing bridges: this fear is called gephyrohobia.

In 1865, John Purdue bought a farm for his sister along Orange Road. The monument commemorating the Battle of Point Pleasant and its associated treaty is located just north of Adelphi, Ohio, where Purdue once lived. Additional information about the bridge can be found at:

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Bridge
• collapse
• Minnesota
• critical
• structurally
• deficient
• Orange Road
• Delaware County
• OH
• truss
• hazard
• John
• Purdue

[tugboatannie]

Blaming the fall of the Silver Bridge on Cornstalk or Mothman is an easy way out for the WV DOT system. I lived in the area Gallipolis,for 60 years.I remember its disrepair.The carnage that might have been prevented had the WV DOT kept the bridge maintained. The Mothman did not exist, except in the minds of those who thought they saw something in their drunken stupor.The Silver Bridge was a main State Route. It's maintenance should have been a prority

[MothmanHarbinger]

Are you implying that all of the people who saw something in the TNT Area were drunk or drugged? That is a typical belief and I know so many people who believe that every sighting was induced by "LSD" or "PCP." This excuse is old and worn out.

[HIYA208]

@Terrorizer321 Dont be such a hater. It was built in the 1900's its not the same technology we have today. Yes we may have been a new country still with some issues including our craftsmanship, but we have gained confidence and have advanced in new technology so that we can pursue the struggle to become a better nation. Our "engineers that suck ass" are actually rare because we have extremely great technology. Yes alot of our technology has come from foreign countries but we have made it better.

[crowleysridgegirl]

It has been established that only dismantling the Silver Bridge could have perhaps prevented the fall.Regular inspections could not have discovered the 0.1mm crack in the eyebar near the top of the Ohio tower.

[crowleysridgegirl]

The failure of eyebar 330 on the North Ohio side of the bridge is what led to its' collapse.Not carrying too many cars.

[crowleysridgegirl]

The MOthman legend has nothing to do with this particular video.That bit of information is from Point Pleasant,West VA where the Silver Bridge over the Ohio River collapsed in 1967 on Dec.15.(not this one.)

[cbrzyx]

It just goes to show what kind of crap is on the register. Time to demolish that eyesore.

[Lugialuver]

so crazy people say this thing called the mothman made it collapse.

[DorothyDandrich]

You sound like you have..up close knowledge of that.

[darkflame2222]

I'm Native American....the Curse may/may not have been real. i do not believe it myself, but it is still possible. There many things within this world that we do not know.

[molokaicreeper]

Man you got guts getting underneath such a deteriorated bridge. And don't pay attention to the previous comment, there is no material in which a bridge can be built from that can endure mother nature. Water, wind, heat, etc are to blame for bridge collapse. In addition, bridges should be inspected at least every two years to prevent collapse. I'd hate to be the one driving the car through it when it finally comes down.

[Terrorizer321]

we'v got bridges over 200 years old still in working order. its just the americans thier engineers suck ass