Admiral T. J. Lopez Bridge

The Admiral T. J. Lopez Bridge is a truss bridge crossing the Kanawha River at Chelyan, West Virginia, named for 4-star admiral Thomas J. Lopez. The Warren truss bridge cost $25.9 million to build, and was opened to traffic on June 30, 1997. It serves as a connection between I-64/I-77 (West Virginia Turnpike), U.S. Route 60 (US 60), and West Virginia Route 61 (WV 61).

History
The current bridge replaced an earlier crossing known as the Chelyan Bridge. Initially a toll crossing constructed for the Midland Trail-James River Bridge Company in 1928-29, this bridge consisted of 17 riveted steel truss and girder spans with a total length of 1,355 ft. The main span over the navigable channel was a 450 ft cantilever truss with 200 ft side spans. It was sold to the state of West Virginia in 1946 and, despite several rehabilitation projects over the years, continuing deterioration of the bridge required a load limit to be imposed. The bridge was documented by the West Virginia Division of Highways for the Historic American Engineering Record in 1993 prior to its replacement.