Silver Bridge - Aftermath

Aftermath

The collapse focused much needed attention on the condition of older bridges, leading to intensified inspection protocols and numerous eventual replacements. There were only two bridges built to a similar design, one upstream at St. Marys, West Virginia and the notably longer Hercilio Luz Bridge at Florianópolis, Brazil. The St. Marys bridge was immediately closed to traffic and was demolished by the state in 1971. Explosive charges were placed on the main chains and fired to remove the structure, although a small truss bridge was kept to allow access to an island in the river. The Hercilio Luz Bridge remained in active service until 1991 and still stands at Florianópolis due to being built to a higher safety factor than the West Virginia bridge. Modern non-destructive testing methods allow some of the older bridges to remain in service where they are located on lightly traveled roads. Most heavily used bridges of this type have been replaced with modern bridges of various types.

The collapse inspired legislation to ensure that older bridges were regularly inspected and maintained. Aging infrastructure is still a problem in the United States. In 1983 the Mianus River Bridge in Greenwich, Connecticut collapsed, causing the deaths of three drivers. In early September 2009 the failure of an eyebar in the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge was discovered during a scheduled closure, resulting in an emergency repair to reinforce the failed member.

A scale model of the original Silver Bridge can be seen at the Point Pleasant River Museum. An archive of literature about the bridge is kept there for public inspection. On the lower ground floor, the museum displays an eyebar assembly from the original bridge.

A memorial was installed in Point Pleasant to commemorate the 46 bridge collapse victims.