Pt. Pleasant, #WestVirginia and Gallipolis, #Ohio were settled in the colonial era, so when the Silver Bridge was completed, it created a shared commerce and community that had been divided by the Ohio River. Using a century old design fabricated in steel, the bridge was considered revolutionary, but thirty-nine years later, the intense flaws of its eyebar construction became all too evident as the structure collapsed with rush hour and holiday traffic, taking with it 46 lives. The lessons learned from the tragedy forever changed how American bridges are constructed and maintained.