Bellaire Interstate Toll Bridge
The Bellaire Interstate Toll Bridge was designed by the J.E. Greiner and Company and was completed on December 22, 1926, connecting Bellaire, Ohio to Benwood, West Virginia.Taking a total of eighteen months to construct, the bridge over the Ohio River cost $1.5 million. Over seven million tons of structural steel were utilized in the construction of the span, and the deck included provisions for streetcars, although they were never put into operation.
During construction, only one death was reported, when Fred Morning fell from a pier on the Benwood, West Virginia side to the ground below on June 12, 1926.
When the bridge opened, over 7,000 vehicles crossed the span. Due to the large expense undertaken on the construction of the span, a modest toll of a nickel was required. For nearly 45 years, the toll remained only one nickel, however, it was raised in 1971 to a quarter, with a round trip costing 40 cents. The bridge began losing money in 1984, and subsequently, the toll was raised to 50 cents one-way or a dollar for a round trip.
During the tenure of the bridge's history, a wedding took place on the span with the public invited on Independence Day 1927. In addition, portions of the movie, Silence of the Lambs, were filmed on the span and in Bellaire, Ohio.
The Bellaire Interstate Bridge was closed to traffic on May 1, 1991. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) required the Ohio approach ramp for construction of the Ohio State Route 7 expressway, and ODOT paid $2.1 million in November 1990 to the bridge corporation. The approach ramp was subsequently demolished, and the bridge and its West Virginia approach ramp were abandoned.
The bridge was later sold in March 1991 to Roger Barack, owner of a construction company in Bellaire. Discussions ensued about the construction of a new approach to the bridge in Ohio, but no work was ever completed. Later, $895,000 was set aside for demolition of the bridge, but additional funding was not secured. In 2002, Benwood, West Virginia officials asked the state of Ohio to demolish the span as debris was littering a roadway below.
In 2005, U.S. Representative Bob Ney obtained a $1.7 million grant to demolish the bridge, however, the money came with controversy. Ney received campaign donations to the tune of $6,000 from Roger Barack and had rented an office for $1,800 that was used by Barack. In addition, Ney nominated Barack's son for an Air Force Academy Appointment.
"It seems puzzling to me that public dollars would be used to tear down a bridge that is owned by an individual."
-U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland
-U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland
Further reading
1. Bellaire Interstate Toll Bridge at Forgotten Ohio
2. Bellaire Interstate Toll Bridge at Historic Bridges of Michigan and Elsewhere
Sources
1. "Bellaire Interstate Toll Bridge." Bellaire Public Library. 7 July 2005 Articles.
1a. Martins Ferry Daily Times (Martins Ferry, OH) December 22, 1926, July 1, 1927
1b. Intelligencer (Wheeling, WV), December 1, 1990, March 27, 1991
1c. Wheeling News Register - Ohio Edition, (Wheeling, WV), April 22, 1991
1d. A letter from the Interstate Bridge Company dated March 27, 1948 (Bellaire, OH).
2. Eaton, Sabrina. "Bridge removal divides Ohio region." Cleveland Plain Dealer. 7 July 2005 Article.
3. "Bellaire Bridge." Historic Bridges of Michigan and Elsewhere. 13 Feb. 2009 Article.
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