[1] It provided a link for commuters between southern Ohio border towns and West Virginia steel mills from 1926 to 1991.

During construction, hundreds worked on the bridge, and one worker was killed: Fred Morning fell from a pier on the Benwood, West Virginia side to the ground below on June 12, 1926.

[1] The bridge began losing money in 1984, so the owners increased the toll once more to 50 cents one-way, one dollar round trip.

The bridge was sold to Roger Barack, owner of a construction company in Bellaire, in March 1991.

[2] With assistance from then-state Senator Bob Ney, Barack approached ODOT about reopening the bridge, but those plans never bore fruit because "the costs involved far outweighed any potential for the bridge to function economically," according to a 2003 letter from ODOT Deputy Director Randall F.

[2] In 2002, Benwood, West Virginia officials requested that the bridge be demolished as football-sized debris was falling onto the roadway below, but nothing was done.

The United States Coast Guard had ordered the span demolished, and had fined Barack over $200,000 for his nonfeasance.

The bridge was still in place in May 2005, The Plain Dealer describing it as "a decrepit nuisance that residents of both states are eager to demolish.

The project originally was to be completed by September 28, 2010,[4] but as has been historically typical with the bridge, delays have pushed the demolition back from a target of June 2011[5][8] to being indefinitely placed on hold.

[9] The current delay stems from disagreement between the contractor and Benwood, West Virginia officials over an escrow account being created to ensure demolition is completed once started.