Blaine in Belmont County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Blaine Hill "S" Bridge / Blaine Hill Viaduct
Photographed By Terri Beitzel, October 17, 2008
1. Blaine Hill "S" Bridge Marker
Inscription.
Blaine Hill "S" Bridge, also, Blaine Hill Viaduct. .
Blaine Hill "S" Bridge. The first Blaine Hill Bridge was constructed in 1828 as part of the National Road, the nation's first federally funded highway. This three-arch S-shaped structure, 345 feet in length, spans Wheeling Creek (a tributary of the Ohio River) and is the longest original "S" bridge in existence on the old National Road. At a gradient of approximately 6.3 percent from east to west, it significantly eased, for the first time, the arduous 500-foot western climb out of the valley. Crumbling and in poor condition, it was saved from demolition in 1999 and in 2001 was designated Ohio's official Bicentennial Bridge. Now tucked between the 1933 U.S. 40 viaduct and Interstate 70, it illustrates the earliest of Ohio's three eras in national highway transportation.
Blaine Hill Viaduct. The current Blaine Hill Viaduct was built in 1933. It overlooks the 1828 "S" bridge, which could no longer handle increasing automobile traffic on the National Road, averaging 2,700 vehicles daily. Determined that this pioneer artery of transportation continue its contribution to national progress, a citizen's group called the National Highway Improvement Association led the way in the building of this concrete and steel viaduct. Named the Arches of Memory, it was dedicated to Belmont County's World War I Veterans. The opening of Interstate 70 in 1964 diverted most of the traffic flow from this bridge. It continues to carry traffic along the historic National Road (U.S. 40), designated an All-American Road in 2002. It represents the middle generation in this view, which encompasses three eras of highway travel in Ohio.
Blaine Hill "S" Bridge
The first Blaine Hill Bridge was constructed in 1828 as part of the National Road, the nation's first federally funded highway. This three-arch S-shaped structure, 345 feet in length, spans Wheeling Creek (a tributary of the Ohio River) and is the longest original "S" bridge in existence on the old National Road. At a gradient of approximately 6.3 percent from east to west, it significantly eased, for the first time, the arduous 500-foot western climb out of the valley. Crumbling and in poor condition, it was saved from demolition in 1999 and in 2001 was designated Ohio's official Bicentennial Bridge. Now tucked between the 1933 U.S. 40 viaduct and Interstate 70, it illustrates the earliest of Ohio's three eras in national highway transportation.
Blaine Hill Viaduct
The current Blaine Hill Viaduct was built in 1933. It overlooks the 1828 "S" bridge, which could no longer handle increasing automobile traffic on the National Road, averaging 2,700 vehicles daily. Determined that this pioneer artery of transportation continue its contribution to national progress, a citizen's group called the National Highway Improvement Association led the way in the building of this concrete and steel viaduct. Named the Arches of Memory, it was dedicated to Belmont County's
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World War I Veterans. The opening of Interstate 70 in 1964 diverted most of the traffic flow from this bridge. It continues to carry traffic along the historic National Road (U.S. 40), designated an All-American Road in 2002. It represents the middle generation in this view, which encompasses three eras of highway travel in Ohio.
Erected 2003 by the Ohio Bicentennial Commission, Belmont County Tourism Council, Blaine Bridge Community Preservation Project, Inc. and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 11-7.)
Location. 40° 4.015′ N, 80° 49.214′ W. Marker is in Blaine, Ohio, in Belmont County. Marker is on Pasko Road west of Barton-Blaine Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Blaine OH 43909, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . S-Bridges - Ohio History Central. (Submitted on March 31, 2009, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio.)
Photographed By Christopher Busta-Peck, September 22, 2007
3. Blaine Hill "S" Bridge and Blaine Hill Viaduct
The marker can be seen to the left in this photograph.
Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, November 2, 2014
4. Blaine Hill "S" Bridge Marker
Looking west across the bridge
Photographed By Christopher Busta-Peck, September 22, 2007
5. The two Blaine Hill bridges
Photographed By Christopher Busta-Peck, September 22, 2007
6. View across the bridge, looking west.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 20, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 18, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. This page has been viewed 3,070 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on October 18, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia. 3. submitted on October 18, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. 4. submitted on November 2, 2014, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 5, 6. submitted on October 18, 2008, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio.
