Ravenswood Bridge

Ravenswood Bridge
View of the bridge from Ravenswood
Coordinates	38°56′N 81°46′W
Carries	US 33
Crosses	Ohio River
Official name	William S. Ritchie, Jr. Bridge[1]
Maintained by	West Virginia Department of Transportation[1]
Characteristics
Design	Cantilever bridge
Total length	2,710 feet (830 m)
Longest span	900 feet (270 m)
History
Opened	1981
Location

State Route 824
Location	Meigs County
Existed	1981–2003

Location	Ravenswood
Existed	1981–2003

The William S. Ritchie Jr. Bridge,^[1] more commonly known as the Ravenswood Bridge, is a two-lane cantilever bridge in the United States, connecting Ravenswood, West Virginia and rural Meigs County, Ohio, across the Ohio River. It has a total length of 2,710 ft (830 m) with a main span of 900 ft (270 m). The bridge was completed in 1981.^[2]

The bridge replaced a ferry that had crossed the river between Ravenswood at Walnut Street and rural Lebanon Township since at least 1908.^[3][4] When the bridge opened in 1981, on the Ohio side of the river, the bridge and its approach route carried the 0.57-mile-long (0.92 km) Ohio State Route 824 (SR 824).^[5] The crossing originally led to a winding two-lane SR 338. On the West Virginia side, the bridge carried West Virginia Route 338.^[6][1] In 2003, the SR 824 and WV 338 designations were removed when the US 33 relocation in Meigs County was completed and the US 33 designation was moved onto the bridge.^[7]

Browse numbered routes
← SR 823	OH	→ SR 833
← WV 331	WV	→ US 340

See also

• List of crossings of the Ohio River

References

1. "Notice to Contractors - November 30, 1999 Letting". West Virginia Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
2. The World Almanac and Book of Facts. World Almanac Education Group. 2002. p. 609. ISBN 0-88687-872-1.
3. Ravenswood Quadrangle–West Virginia/Ohio (Topographic map). 1:62,500. 15 Minute Series. United States Geological Survey. 1908. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
4. Map of Ohio Showing State Routes (MrSID) (Map). Cartography by G.F. Schlesinger, Director. Ohio Division of Highways. 1925. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
5. "2001 MEIGS CO 2 AVERAGE 24-HR TRAFFIC VOLUME" (PDF). ODOT. 2001. p. 3. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
6. "Design Guide For Signing" (PDF). West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Highways. April 1994. p. 56.
7. 2003-2004 Official Ohio Transportation Map (MrSID) (Map). Ohio Department of Transportation. 2003. Retrieved August 20, 2013.

External links

• Ravenswood Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels

Aerial view of the bridge and surroundings

38.9365°N 81.7572°W / 38.9365; -81.7572