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| Contact| The Collapse of the Silver Bridge: |next >> Why Did
Eyebar Break?| On December 15, 1967 at about 5PM the traffic
signal at one end of the Silver Bridge turned red. The rush hour
traffic, together with the Christmas shopping traffic,
completely occupied the main span of the bridge connecting Point
Pleasant, West Virginia with Kanauga, Ohio. Suddenly a loud
cracking sound was heard and one of the main towers began to
twist and fall. In less than a minute, all three spans of the
bridge collapsed into the icy Ohio River, carrying with them all
the cars, trucks, and people. Forty-six died and many more were
injured. 1. Scale model reproduction of the actual bridge from
the physical exhibit in the What Caused the Bridge to Fall? The
Silver Bridge (so named because it was painted silver with
aluminum paint) was an eyebar suspension bridge. Instead of the
cables that are so familiar on modern bridges, the highway was
suspended by eyebar chains