Jenkinsburg Bridge West Virginia
Breathtaking.
That’s kind of how I would describe the feeling of being here. Down Bull Run Road, past old farms and backwoods houses, you'll find Jenkinsburg Bridge. This beautiful, old bridge towers above the river it crosses. The Cheat River is what flows through these mountains of West Virginia, and it is beautiful. The rocks and uneven setting just adds to the scene when you look out through the mountains. While the bridge has a little rust now, the boards are old, and it feels like death when you cross it, the bridge is truly a wonder to see. The age of it is old. Like over 100 years old. Constructed in 1912 by the Canton Bridge Company, it is an illustration of a rare bridgebuilding known as a pin-connected truss bridge. Canton Bridge Company, one of the country's greatest scaffold developers, became an American Bridge Company during the mid-twentieth century and has various constructions recorded on the National Register of Historic Places. Somehow, through time and age, it still stands today for us to marvel at. It makes you stop and consider those tire marks there in the middle of the bridge and say, "Oh wow, someone did a burnout here!"
However, today it is in little use due to the location and what it takes to get there. A 4x4 is probably best, maybe even an ATV. You will find that the road with drop-off points, slopes, huge potholes, a rising, rocky surface that can puncture tires if you hit them right, and major heights at times which makes this road so extreme to traverse; still, it doesn’t stop people with less than ideal vehicles making their way down the roads that lead to it (AKA a minivan I have seen there multiple times).
Of course, it doesn't stop me, a photographer, from making the trip either. Did you see the drone video? It makes for some seriously good footage.
As the bird flies, this bridge is about 11 miles from downtown Morgantown and is in what I call banjo country. Even though the roads have been paved around the area from when the time it was constructed, the way to Jenkinsburg Bridge is totally unchanged. Anybody without prior knowledge of this street and region (and West Virginia overall) is told to use a vehicle with respectable ground clearance. Also. Don’t go when it's raining. Just don’t. The road as I said, is made out of enormous rocks. Fast descent is not your friend, and the sensation to the driver will be that this might be the last drive of their life. To the passengers, "well, bless their heart," as they say in the south, they will place more trust in their driver than ever before. Don't look down. Ok, it might not be that bad but it does cause inexperienced drivers to need an extra pair of pants depending on which direction you decided to come from. Approach the bridge from off of road 26 and the trip will be uncomfortable but attainable. Come from Masontown? Bring that extra pair, as it is most treacherous. Heading there you might feel that you are going nowhere but don't let that discourage you. Keep following the directions Google has provided as you know they have never let you down before. I swear, if I could get Google maps to stop taking me down every pig trail in West Virginia just to save a minute off my time. You will feel like you have entered some restricted territory. As I said, it feels like banjo country.
In any case, the bridge and whole region give off a vibe and sensation of "awe-ness" when you reach it. At the bottom, you will be surprised by how many people are there at times. The private landowners have opened their property to the general population, so the region is a recreation area of sorts. What do I mean by that? Well, there are plenty of fishing spots awaiting that avid fisherman and the swimming is great in the summers to cool off in I've heard. Note: this is not a designated swimming area. Swim at your own risk. Kayakers will be seen putting in or even coming down the river having put their boats in further up the Cheat River.
Given this present scaffold's rustic area, it's intriguing to envision it more than 100 years before this bridge was raised in this area. To do as such was without a doubt a test, yet obviously, it was important enough back then to do so. Bull run. What a characteristic name for a road that leads to a place like this. Take a trip and see it if you dare!
