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Thanks to everyone for the feedback on what errors you encountered at https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=33904.0
Corrected several already and appreciate your patience as we work through the rest.

Author Topic: West Virginia  (Read 106812 times)

jmacswimmer

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #475 on: March 17, 2023, 10:17:24 AM »

Your cliff description made think of Sideling Hill on I-68 but there's no bridge that fits your description.

Speaking of I-68, further west there's this high overpass just east of the WV/MD border.
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Troubleshooter

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #476 on: March 17, 2023, 10:58:12 AM »

Didn't they rebuilt that Pea Ridge bridge when I-64 was widened?

When was that? Did they widen the cut too?

Your cliff description made think of Sideling Hill on I-68 but there's no bridge that fits your description.
Speaking of I-68, further west there's this high overpass just east of the WV/MD border.

I have never been on I-68. And the bridge is lower than I remember. Could you provide a google for sideling hill? Search won't find it.
« Last Edit: March 17, 2023, 11:10:44 AM by Troubleshooter »
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seicer

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #477 on: March 17, 2023, 02:41:08 PM »

Didn't they rebuilt that Pea Ridge bridge when I-64 was widened?

CR 60/1 in Pea Ridge was rebuilt in 2003 with a revised substructure and an entirely new superstructure, and is 69 feet above the ground. It was originally built in 1962. https://goo.gl/maps/xjhCs64P5DDArvEK9

The other high-level bridge in the area is for CR 37/McCoy Road, which is 82 feet above the ground. It was built in 1963. https://goo.gl/maps/YMwQojckaaaj7Zwq5

famartin

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The Ghostbuster

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #479 on: March 17, 2023, 04:07:36 PM »

For those who don't know who Victor Cushwa was (I certainly didn't since I'm from Wisconsin), here is Wikipedia's article on the former Maryland state senator: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Cushwa.
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Troubleshooter

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #480 on: March 18, 2023, 11:05:57 PM »

I have never been on I-68. And the bridge is lower than I remember. Could you provide a google for sideling hill? Search won't find it.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.7181798,-78.2809834,3a,75y,311.78h,86.53t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sbL7Jx5BHEdBVKf2u8btFcQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DbL7Jx5BHEdBVKf2u8btFcQ%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D164.98557%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

Thanks! That Sideling cut is wider at the top than what I remember. That's why I wondered if it was natural.

Didn't they rebuilt that Pea Ridge bridge when I-64 was widened?

CR 60/1 in Pea Ridge was rebuilt in 2003 with a revised substructure and an entirely new superstructure, and is 69 feet above the ground. It was originally built in 1962. https://goo.gl/maps/xjhCs64P5DDArvEK9

The other high-level bridge in the area is for CR 37/McCoy Road, which is 82 feet above the ground. It was built in 1963. https://goo.gl/maps/YMwQojckaaaj7Zwq5

Both of these do not fit what I remember. There is no high cliff on both sides, and both are hidden by curves a short distance away. I remember seeing that bridge a long time before I got there.
« Last Edit: March 18, 2023, 11:11:20 PM by Troubleshooter »
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Troubleshooter

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #481 on: March 20, 2023, 10:11:43 PM »

I want to recount my entire experience of this as I saw it.

I first saw the bridge from miles away as I crossed a plain. There was a very high cliff at the far end of the plain. The cliff face was nearly black and went in both directions (left and right) as far as I could see. The bridge was across a vertical slot in the cliff face near the edge of the cliff. Interstate 64 went into this slot in the cliff and ascended to the level of the cliff over several miles. As I entered the slot, I saw the bridge high overhead. The slot was at least 10 times as high as it was wide.

I saw this twice, in 1991 and 1995. Each time I was going to visit relatives in Norfolk VA. And each time, on the way home, we stopped in Washington DC and spent a day at the Smithsonian, so I did not return via I-64, but used I-70.
 
« Last Edit: April 25, 2023, 12:06:37 AM by Troubleshooter »
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Mapmikey

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #482 on: March 24, 2023, 03:34:33 PM »

No disrespect intended, but were you a pre-teen on those trips?  I have found in my own experience that things i saw as a youngster tended to be an exaggerated version of what it was.

Your description suggests the bridge would have to be 500+ feet above the interstate.  Here is a list of US bridges >130 ft high and WV has just 2 entries: US 19 New River Br and the I-64 bridge over Glade Creek.  Virginia has 6, which are not over I-64.

No bridge that seems to meet your criteria either in this thread - https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=8710.msg202481#msg202481

i did find one bridge that meets more of your criteria, I-80 EB in Ohio, if you are misremembering what trip it was from.  This bridge is visible 4.2 miles away.  https://goo.gl/maps/wEukRE4Sbmru4uW7A
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GCrites80s

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #483 on: March 24, 2023, 05:10:08 PM »

That sounds like a really expensive cut. As in one that would be cheaper to tunnel.
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Troubleshooter

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #484 on: March 25, 2023, 01:03:14 AM »

No disrespect intended, but were you a pre-teen on those trips?  I have found in my own experience that things i saw as a youngster tended to be an exaggerated version of what it was.

Your description suggests the bridge would have to be 500+ feet above the interstate.  Here is a list of US bridges >130 ft high and WV has just 2 entries: US 19 New River Br and the I-64 bridge over Glade Creek.  Virginia has 6, which are not over I-64.

No bridge that seems to meet your criteria either in this thread - https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=8710.msg202481#msg202481

i did find one bridge that meets more of your criteria, I-80 EB in Ohio, if you are misremembering what trip it was from.  This bridge is visible 4.2 miles away.  https://goo.gl/maps/wEukRE4Sbmru4uW7A

I was 40 the first trip. I was driving the car. And the sight was something quite unusual that I noted.

I have never been on I-80 east of Toledo.

I am really puzzled by this. I wanted to find it to show a picture of it to someone.

I know it was on this trip. But it possibly could have been in Kentucky or Virginia. But I traveled the entire trip on Google Maps street view just before I came here.

I am thinking that something has happened or was done so this is not there anymore. Maybe the cliff part fell or an I-64 bridge was replaced and made higher. Maybe a railroad was removed and the bridge taken down.

I also just had the thought that there might have been two different cuts for the two directions of I-64. That would halve the height of the bridge.

I also just remembered something else. I was looking for it the second trip, and I had thought it was at the KY-WV line at the bridge over the Big Sandy. But it was not there. It was much later in the trip. So it was not in KY.



« Last Edit: March 25, 2023, 01:05:21 AM by Troubleshooter »
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Mapmikey

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #485 on: March 25, 2023, 07:35:48 PM »

Any chance you missed the I-64 exit from the WV Turnpike and had to turnaround at the next exit?  Meets your criteria for split level interstate and as of 2011 was still visible 1.1 miles away.

Cause then you'd have this - https://goo.gl/maps/CZZM6rd7jMk2fMDr9  though chances are small this happened twice.

Otherwise, a removed bridge or even coal chute could be what happened.  A look around historicaerials.com searching for structures no longer present didn't turn up anything.

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Troubleshooter

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #486 on: March 25, 2023, 11:14:24 PM »

Any chance you missed the I-64 exit from the WV Turnpike and had to turnaround at the next exit?  Meets your criteria for split level interstate and as of 2011 was still visible 1.1 miles away.

Cause then you'd have this - https://goo.gl/maps/CZZM6rd7jMk2fMDr9  though chances are small this happened twice.

Otherwise, a removed bridge or even coal chute could be what happened.  A look around historicaerials.com searching for structures no longer present didn't turn up anything.

Thank you. We already thought of that bridge.

I also had thought it was just east of Beckley. There are several deep defiles there.

Thanks everyone.

Fixed quote.  -Mark
« Last Edit: March 26, 2023, 07:11:14 AM by 74/171FAN »
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SP Cook

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #487 on: March 31, 2023, 12:37:53 PM »

Governor signs bill changing inspection stickers to 24 months.

https://wvmetronews.com/2023/03/29/governor-acts-on-a-mountain-of-bills-but-is-conflicted-on-sports-transfer-policy/

Legislature added this on to a bill changing how "antique" cars are registered.  Many in the legislature want to abolish the inspections entirely.  The fee (the bill raises it from $14 to a whopping $19) is still so low that garages cannot make money on the business and they risk losing customers if they actually fail a car.  Many motorists just find the whole thing a yearly hassle, and there is no real evidence that states with or without inspections have equipment related accidents at different rates.

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Troubleshooter

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #488 on: April 01, 2023, 11:45:41 PM »

Any chance you missed the I-64 exit from the WV Turnpike and had to turnaround at the next exit?  Meets your criteria for split level interstate and as of 2011 was still visible 1.1 miles away.

Cause then you'd have this - https://goo.gl/maps/CZZM6rd7jMk2fMDr9  though chances are small this happened twice.

Otherwise, a removed bridge or even coal chute could be what happened.  A look around historicaerials.com searching for structures no longer present didn't turn up anything.


Here is a a place that looks similar, except it is not as high as I remember and there is no overbridge. The notch in the face is like what I remember. It's east of Beckley. Has this I-64 bridge been raised since 1995 or have other changes happened here?

https://goo.gl/maps/y1YSukCVTc9L4FZ56

« Last Edit: April 01, 2023, 11:56:41 PM by Troubleshooter »
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Mapmikey

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #489 on: April 02, 2023, 08:37:42 PM »

Any chance you missed the I-64 exit from the WV Turnpike and had to turnaround at the next exit?  Meets your criteria for split level interstate and as of 2011 was still visible 1.1 miles away.

Cause then you'd have this - https://goo.gl/maps/CZZM6rd7jMk2fMDr9  though chances are small this happened twice.

Otherwise, a removed bridge or even coal chute could be what happened.  A look around historicaerials.com searching for structures no longer present didn't turn up anything.


Here is a a place that looks similar, except it is not as high as I remember and there is no overbridge. The notch in the face is like what I remember. It's east of Beckley. Has this I-64 bridge been raised since 1995 or have other changes happened here?

https://goo.gl/maps/y1YSukCVTc9L4FZ56



Don't believe anything has happened to this bridge which is the 2nd highest bridge in WV

The 1986 and 1996 aerials show nothing crossing over I-64 east of this bridge.

Based on your descriptions you wouldn't have seen this bridge from a distance in the rear view mirror... https://goo.gl/maps/EAQDk4do8SraMrEa9

...but the difficulty is that sightlines are way different than 30 years ago in terms of tree heights, so this bridge could have been visible from a distance EB too in the early 1990s.
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Troubleshooter

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #490 on: April 04, 2023, 10:57:36 AM »

Any chance you missed the I-64 exit from the WV Turnpike and had to turnaround at the next exit?  Meets your criteria for split level interstate and as of 2011 was still visible 1.1 miles away.

Cause then you'd have this - https://goo.gl/maps/CZZM6rd7jMk2fMDr9  though chances are small this happened twice.

Otherwise, a removed bridge or even coal chute could be what happened.  A look around historicaerials.com searching for structures no longer present didn't turn up anything.


Here is a a place that looks similar, except it is not as high as I remember and there is no overbridge. The notch in the face is like what I remember. It's east of Beckley. Has this I-64 bridge been raised since 1995 or have other changes happened here?

https://goo.gl/maps/y1YSukCVTc9L4FZ56



Don't believe anything has happened to this bridge which is the 2nd highest bridge in WV

The 1986 and 1996 aerials show nothing crossing over I-64 east of this bridge.

Based on your descriptions you wouldn't have seen this bridge from a distance in the rear view mirror... https://goo.gl/maps/EAQDk4do8SraMrEa9

...but the difficulty is that sightlines are way different than 30 years ago in terms of tree heights, so this bridge could have been visible from a distance EB too in the early 1990s.


I didn't see it in the rear view mirror. I saw it in the windshield to the front.
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Troubleshooter

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #491 on: April 08, 2023, 02:50:34 AM »

That sounds like a really expensive cut. As in one that would be cheaper to tunnel.

I had the thought that it was a natural cut made by a small river next to the highway.
« Last Edit: April 08, 2023, 02:53:30 AM by Troubleshooter »
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Bitmapped

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #492 on: May 02, 2023, 10:14:18 PM »

In 2021, the City of Parkersburg leased its previously city-operated Memorial Bridge across the Ohio River to a group including Kokosing, Burgess and Niple, and Modjeski and Masters. The bridge is supposed to reopen later this year following an extensive rehab.

The new group is moving to all-electronic tolling via E-ZPass ($1 for cars) or bill-by-mail ($4.50). They're also offering a $30/month unlimited use plan. Info is at https://parkersburgbridgepartners.com/tolling-rates/
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seicer

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #493 on: May 03, 2023, 09:23:59 AM »

I have photos I need to post of the rehab work taken from the drone. The amount of work being conducted is impressive, but probably because it did not require major rehabilitation for the 60+ some years it had been opened. Traffic was originally allowed to flow, but there were enforcement issues - people speeding, wrong-way drivers (people disregarding traffic control devices), etc.

seicer

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #494 on: May 18, 2023, 10:29:52 AM »

I was looking through project plans for something else and came across this proposed (and mostly not built) four-lane widening of US 21/60 between Chelyan Bridge and Hugheston from 1972. It called for two 24' wide roadways paved with 9" of Portland cement concrete, 10' paved right shoulders, and a curbed 18' concrete median with a 60 MPH design speed. AADT figures for 1971 were 6,060, with a projection by 1991 of 8,000, 12.5% of which were trucks. The alignment did not deviate much from the existing route.

Over at Hugeston, a bridge over a creek was completed in 1967, but nothing has extended from that either.
« Last Edit: May 18, 2023, 10:33:18 AM by seicer »
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Bitmapped

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #495 on: May 18, 2023, 08:35:47 PM »

I was looking through project plans for something else and came across this proposed (and mostly not built) four-lane widening of US 21/60 between Chelyan Bridge and Hugheston from 1972. It called for two 24' wide roadways paved with 9" of Portland cement concrete, 10' paved right shoulders, and a curbed 18' concrete median with a 60 MPH design speed. AADT figures for 1971 were 6,060, with a projection by 1991 of 8,000, 12.5% of which were trucks. The alignment did not deviate much from the existing route.

Over at Hugeston, a bridge over a creek was completed in 1967, but nothing has extended from that either.

I think the plan was to at least get to Smithers/Montgomery, and I suspect Gauley Bridge was an eventual end goal given the small 4-lane section there. I used to hear of the widening being pushed to serve WVU Tech, but since it relocated to Beckley, I haven't heard much of the proposal. Some additional passing opportunities would be nice but I don't think there's a need for a full four-laning of the corridor anymore.
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seicer

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #496 on: May 18, 2023, 10:01:18 PM »

I don't think there is, either. The twisty segment at the end of the four-lane east of the Chelyan Bridge should at least be remedied. It's got some ongoing issues with hillside movement which has caused the roadway to shift and landslides to occur over the years. Many of the properties on the roadway's north side are also abandoned. Here is something else I found interesting:

- In 1991 and 1993 (or thereabouts), some of the original Cedar Grove bypass from 1947 (or thereabouts) was reconstructed, which entailed rebuilding two bridges over Kellys Creek and two roadways (which also contained a coal-hauling branch line at one point). You can tell where the project limits were because of the concrete median transition. They could have at least made provisions for a turn lane at Hull Avenue on the eastern end. https://mapwv.gov/DOTLivePlans/Scanning/ProjectBookFolders/H_20_4_0060_00_036_1993_S02346/PDF/H_20_4_0060_00_036_1993_S02346.pdf and https://mapwv.gov/DOTLivePlans/Scanning/ProjectBookFolders/R_20_2_0060_00_000_1991_S11887/PDF/R_20_2_0060_00_000_1991_S11887.pdf
- Original bypass plans, which shows that two lanes + shoulder were built first with an additional two lanes + shoulder added in 1956, all of the branch lines, and the tram line (presumably for the miners?): https://mapwv.gov/DOTLivePlans/Scanning/ProjectBookFolders/P_20_2_0060_00_000_1947_S06469/PDF/P_20_2_0060_00_000_1947_S06469.pdf and https://mapwv.gov/DOTLivePlans/Scanning/ProjectBookFolders/P_20_5_0060_00_000_1956_S09204/PDF/P_20_5_0060_00_000_1956_S09204.pdf
- Much of US 60 in that area was built in 1919 and greatly improved in the late 1920s-early 1930s with a 20' roadway.
« Last Edit: May 18, 2023, 10:11:22 PM by seicer »
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seicer

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #497 on: May 19, 2023, 02:27:52 PM »

1964 article about the routings of interstates (specifically, Interstate 64) through Charleston:



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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #498 on: May 19, 2023, 04:38:26 PM »

^^^
Fascinating.  The alternate route from the State Capitol to the West Virginia Turnpike was selected, but part of the preferred route using the new 36th Street and (rebuilt) 35th Street bridges was actually constructed.  When the DOH first started building this, I was hoping that the new spur route into Kanawha City would get numbered as a 3DI.  As it turns out, the twin spans are probably the most important route in the state that is numbered with a true state secondary route (ergo, county route number), in this case unposted CR-60/63.
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seicer

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Re: West Virginia
« Reply #499 on: May 19, 2023, 04:51:00 PM »

I wasn't aware that there was a previous span at 35th Street. I remember coming across an article that detailed when the span had partly collapsed.

 


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