11 replies to this topic

[mobilene]

So there's this bridge between Wheeling Island and Bridgeport, OH. It's abandoned, with a new bridge alongside. The last time I drove over the new bridge, I wrecked my car at the end of it. So this time I avoided driving it and just came up OH 7 to US 40. But that abandoned old bridge was still there.


Bridgeport Bridge by mobilene, on Flickr

I stopped to consider its western end.


Bridgeport Bridge by mobilene, on Flickr

I was curious about what that sign (up there, see it?) said, so I kind of trespassed a little.


Bridgeport Bridge by mobilene, on Flickr

From there, I could see that this bridge has fallen into serious disrepair. A TV station in Steubenville reports that this bridge will be demolished next month. It's sad, but I think this old girl is beyond saving.


Bridgeport Bridge by mobilene, on Flickr

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

Jim,

Your bridges shots were great, one saved, one to be destroyed. The brick road leading to the S bridge looked forlorn. So much of importance and so much forgotten. Glad you got the photos.

I was led into the muscle car auction photos . So that's the source of the mobile record player... The photos are a great record, and are well done. They raised a couple of side questions:

From maybe 1946 to 1960, give or take a few years, two tone paint was big. I liked it. So many cars today look almost exactly alike, I wonder way some company doesn't bring back the two tone as a way to differentiate their cars from the rest.

And a cultural question/observation. In my days a teen wouldn't be caught dead driving a stock automobile. We customized them as much as we could afford. No one mistook my car for the family ride! I drove into a high school parking lot to pick up my wife a couple days ago and the teachers' cars couldn't be distinguished from the students'. I wonder why.

Just pondering....

Dave

Keep the Show on the Road!

[mobilene]

I'll share about the Blaine bridge soon! But yes, the old brick road is forlorn and forgotten.

Didn't you notice how often two-toning was separated by a chrome trim line on a car? There so often needed to be some way to cover up the "seam" between the two colors. But what car today has any sort of trim line that can be used for that? Moreover, so many cars today are in shades of silver, white, and beige ("champagne"). It seems to be what the car-buying public wants, for whatever reason. Color is out.

I don't know why customizing died away. When I was in high school (early 80s), the most popular cars were Cutlasses and Camaros, bone stock. A few kids did things like jack up the back and add fat tires. Otherwise, nothing. Kids who drove hand-me-down cars -- like one friend who inherited her grandfather's '76 Impala, and another who got her dad's old Corolla -- usually expressed a certain disdain about it but bottom line were just grateful to have a car.

Lord willing and the creek don't rise, I'm hanging onto my blue Matrix until my older boy turns 16 (Jan. 2013), and then I'm handing it over to him and buying myself a new car. My guess is that he will be at once excited about having his own ride, and unsatisfied that it has to be dad's old fuddy-duddy car.

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

Jim,

One of your shots of the soon to be destroyed bridge has a sort of "castle gate" entrance to the bridge that is unique. I hope the "powers that be" will leave it as a reminder.

And so far as customizing, Judging by some of your muscle car photos, Pop is doing the customizing today. That may explain why teen son isn't!!

Thanks again for sharing!

Dave

Keep the Show on the Road!

[mobilene]

My understanding is that the bridge's unique architectural features will be saved and given to local historical societies for display.

Perhaps customizing was just of a particular era, and the same teens who did it then are still doing it now.

One thing I do notice, however, is that Mexican men tend to do some customization of their cars, at least here in Indy. One guy who lives about a mile from here has a first-generation Maxima that he's custom painted in this funky black and grey scheme. It's in questionable taste, but one thing's for sure, there's no doubt who it is when he drives by.

[DennyG]

I didn't realize that the old US-40 bridge was coming down this summer. When the new one went in around 2000, they just removed the deck and chopped the ends off. Since then it's kind of been like a one bridge museum. I know the safety issues are real and it's time for the ol' gal to come down. She was a looker in her day.

[mobilene]

Apparently the old bridge had some structural issues while it was still in use -- needed new trussing to support the deck. It's remarkable how overgrown the site is after 10 or 12 years. Large tree branches are growing through the railing.

[DennyG]

She's down:
http://www.timeslead.../id/533208.html

The article says that the real date of closing was 1997 (Hey, that's around 2000) and gives cost figures of $65,974 and $672,222. One was the cost of construction and the other the cost of demolition. I'm betting you can guess which is which.

[Keep the Show on the Road!]

She's down:
http://www.timeslead.../id/533208.html

The article says that the real date of closing was 1997 (Hey, that's around 2000) and gives cost figures of $65,974 and $672,222. One was the cost of construction and the other the cost of demolition. I'm betting you can guess which is which.

Denny,

Thanks for the tip. That is quite a nice article on Ohio bridges, and a bit sad for the loss of a nice one.

Dave

Keep the show on the Road!

[Steve_Colby]

She was a beauty!

[mobilene]

Video of the demolition:

[Steve_Colby]

Very cool ... and sad.

Steve