The last segment in the construction of US 50 was completed with the opening of the new Blennerhassett Island Bridge on June 13. The four-lane US 50 connects I-79 in Clarksburg WV with Athens OH. From Athens, four-lane expressways extend to both Columbus and Cincinnati.
The 4,009-foot bridge, which spans the Ohio River and Blennerhassett Island, is the last major component of the US 50 Appalachian Corridor project to be completed. The award-winning bridge is one of the largest bridge construction projects undertaken by the State of West Virginia. Its completion will eliminate a major “bottle-neck” for east-west travelers and provide much easier access to and through the Greater Parkersburg area.
Prior to its opening the West Virginia Division of Highways was selected from a worldwide list of projects to receive the Gustav Lindenthal Medal for the Blennerhassett Island Bridge during the International Bridge Conference. The conference annually awards five medals to recognize outstanding engineering structures that demonstrates technical and material innovation, aesthetic merit and harmony with the environment or successful community participation.
