This is an image set within the Bridgemeister collection.
Bridge: | Fink Creek Suspension Bridge |
Location: | Gilmer County, West Virginia, USA - Fink Creek |
Coordinates and Maps: | See related inventory record(s). |
Image Set Contributor: | David Denenberg |
Related Suspension Bridge Inventory: | (footbridge) - Troy vicinity, Gilmer County, West Virginia, USA |
Related Image Lists: | All from David Denenberg All in West Virginia All in USA All Pedestrian Suspension Bridges |
Credit: | All photos by David Denenberg. Please do not reuse without permission. |
This bridge crosses Fink Creek Road and Fink Creek. There are hundreds of private suspension footbridges in West Virginia. Many of West Virginia's county and state roads parallel rivers as they wind through the valleys of rugged terrain. Often, private property entrances are on the road side of the river and the house on the other side of the river. Driving through West Virginia, I have seen many interesting small spans connecting the road side of the river to the house side. Many properties have drivable bridges, many just have footbridges. The footbridges are often suspension bridges.
This particular suspension bridge is noteworthy because it appeared on the Federal Highway Administration's list of suspension bridges (circa 2000). I drove out to this location based on the entry in their list hoping to find a more substantial bridge. In 2000, the FHWA's database only listed (approximately) 112 catenary suspension bridges for the entire country and most of those bridges are vehicular bridges. I suspect this bridge was included because it intersects a county maintained road. I also visited another nearby suspension bridge listed in the FHWA database.