By Ken Drenten

The Historic National Road, roughly the route of current-day U.S. 40, is the site of a number of bridges that date back to the road’s original construction from 1825 to the 1830s. The spans include several unique S-shaped bridges as well as the famous Y-Bridge in Zanesville across the Muskingum and Licking rivers.

Reciprocity Bridge along US 40 west of Zanesville. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

The Reciprocity Bridge is a stone arch bridge built in 1830 along U.S. 40 a few miles west of Zanesville. According to the Ohio National Road Association, this bridge was named Reciprocity (“tit for tat”) for a Congressional inspection committee composed of representatives from Indiana and Ohio. The members cut a deal about the National Road as they were riding toward the bridge.

A great time to visit the National Road is during the National Road Yard Sale, held this year from May 29 to June 2 from St. Louis, Mo., to Baltimore, Md. The 824-mile sale celebrates this historic byway, giving communities the opportunity to host festivals and other community events. Individuals and vendors set up assortments of roadside treasures including antiques and furniture, housewares, collectables and edible treats.

S-bridges are another unique feature of the National Road. When the road was originally built in Ohio from 1825 to the late 1830s, the roadway seldom approached streams at a 90-degree angle, particularly in hilly eastern Ohio. The S-shape allowed waterways to be crossed at a 90-degree angle while maintaining the direction and location of the road.

The Fox Run S-Bridge is located just west of New Concord on US 40. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

Here are some other Ohio bridges along the road:

• Blaine Hill S-Bridge, built in 1828 (53717-53723 Pasko Road, Bridgeport), 385 feet long with three segmented arches.
• Salt Fork S-Bridge, in Middlebourne on County Road 6794 (Bridgewater and Blend roads).
• Peters Creek S-Bridge, built in 1828, at the north side of U.S. 40 west of Cambridge at Peter’s Creek Road.
• Fox Run S-Bridge, located in a park just west of New Concord (north side of U.S. 40).
• John Carnahan Bridge, one of the few bridges signed by its engineer, located on Old National Road just west of I-70’s National Road exit.
• Stone arch bridge, located on a segment of the old National Road just west of Gratiot.

The current Y-Bridge in Zanesville was built in 1984 and replicates the design of the 1902 bridge. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

Perhaps the most famous bridge on the road is Zanesville’s Y-Bridge. The Y-Bridge is the only bridge where you go to the middle and turn left or right. The bridge first opened to traffic in 1814 and was rebuilt in 1819, 1831 and 1902. The current bridge was built in 1984 and replicates the design of the 1902 bridge, which was badly damaged in the great Flood of 1913.

The bridge is located on U.S. 40 (Main Street) in downtown Zanesville. For a birds-eye view of the bridge, go to Putnam Hill Park, off Pine Street south of downtown Zanesville.

Another bridge near the road is the Great Stone Viaduct, consisting of 43 stone arches, built in 1871 by the Central Ohio Railroad to carry north and eastbound rail service across the Ohio River (31st Street, Bellaire).

Find more information about Ohio’s historic bridges in Dusty Tires. To learn more about the history of the National Road, visit the Zane Grey/National Road Museum in Norwich just off I-70.

Ken Drenten is creator and manager of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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