1828 Blaine Hill “S” Bridge

Wander on history with Ohio’s Official Bicentennial Bridge… Ohio’s oldest bridge.

The Blaine Hill “S” Bridge is on the original section of the Historic National Road as it continued into the Ohio lands in 1826-1828. The land it is on has been a major North American transportation artery since Native Americans used it as a footpath, Ebenezer Zane blazed it as a trail, Braddock marched troops over it in the American Revolution, and WWI convoys carried men and supplies over it.

It is the longest and last remaining S Bridge on the six-state historic National Road.

The Roman-style stone bridge is 345 feet long, and rises at a 6.3% incline going east to west, to a 500-foot climb to the top of the hill. Its arches are 25 feet, 35 feet, and 45 feet long and were originally earthen-filled. The “s” shape was designed for structural strength over the strong currents of Wheeling Creek.