The Silver Bridge Disaster
On December 15, 1967, about one mile downstream from this historic marker, a national tragedy occured. Forty-six interstate travelers lost their lives when the Silver Bridge collapsed into the Ohio River during five o'clock rush hour traffic. The 2,235 foot two-way vehicular bridge connected Point Pleasant, West Virginia and Kanagua, Ohio via U.S. Route 35. The West Virginia Ohio River Bridge Company built the structure in 1928 for $1.2 million. The bridge, unique in its engineering conception, was the first of its design in America and the second in the world. Instead of woven-wire cable, the bridge was suspended on heat-treated eye-bar chains. It was named the "Silver Bridge" because it was the first in the world to be painted with aluminum paint. In 1969, two years later, its replacement, the Silver Memorial Bridge, was dedicated.
Marker can be reached from Ohio Route 7 0.1 miles north of Georges Creek Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
