Norfolk Southern Bridge (Kenova, West Virginia)

Norfolk Southern Bridge
The bridge as seen from Kenova, West Virginia.
Coordinates	38°24′20″N 82°34′23″W
Carries	Trackage of Norfolk Southern Railway
Crosses	Ohio River
Locale	South Point, Ohio and Kenova, West Virginia
Characteristics
Design	Simple truss bridge
History
Opened	1892 (expanded 1913)
Location

The Norfolk Southern Railway Ohio River crossing connects South Point, Ohio with Kenova, West Virginia.

History

The bridge was first completed in 1892 with a single track, but its piers were sized for future widening. The expansion to two tracks was undertaken in 1913 by Norfolk and Western, the predecessor railway of the current owner, Norfolk Southern. The railroad added new trusses around the existing structure and expanded the piers. Rail traffic continued throughout construction, and the new tracks opened on June 9, 1913.

Trivia

The bridge is featured prominently in the Warner Bros. film We Are Marshall in a scene in which Jack Lengyel (played by Matthew McConaughey) visits William "Red" Dawson (played by Matthew Fox) at his home. The scene was filmed at a private residence on Barger Hill in Kenova, which overlooks the town and the three states converging at the confluence of the Ohio and Big Sandy Rivers. The bridge can be seen in the background.

In the scene Lengyel makes reference to the train crossing it and uses it as an analogy for putting one's life back on track.

On March 4, 2013, Norfolk Southern noted the 100th anniversary of the completion of the expanded bridge.

See also

• List of crossings of the Ohio River

External links

• Norfolk Southern Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels.