WV 618 is old US 50 through Parkersburg, though OH oddly chose to bend OH 618 north at the bridge instead of connecting the two, so now WV 618 turns into OH 32 at the state line. All photos are westbound.


WV 618 follows 7th St. as it enters town from the US 50 Northwestern Pike, cutting diagonally across the eastern street grid and giving rise to intersections of parallel-numbered streets such as this.


WV 618 WB turns onto Ann St. downtown in a one-way pair with Juliana St. WV 618 EB shares the latter with WV 14 and WV 68 NB, but those routes' SB halves are closer to the Ohio River on Garfield St., so Ann St. is nothing but 618. This is the approach to the CSX railroad Parkersburg Bridge into Ohio.


On the subject of Juliana St., this is on its corner with 5th St. where WV 618 EB and WV 68 NB meet WV 14 NB.


Let's just talk about this sign for a moment. The button copy is gorgeous, but is Ohio really just "O"? Oregon may want to have a word, and Oklahoma will listen in. Then there's the "comma," which looks like it was chopped off the top of the "l" in Belpre.


Looking northwest from the foot of the Parkersburg-Belpre Bridge, which carries WV 618 into Ohio, at that next to the Parkersburg Bridge.


The approach to the Parkersburg-Belpre Bridge offers plenty of truss action. The railroad bridge is significantly older, with its truss spans dating to 1905 compared to WV 618's date of 1980. In fact, it's older than the previous road bridge here, the Parkersburg Suspension Bridge. That was built by John A. Roebling's Sons Co., in case you want to feel bad that it was replaced.


West through the span to the state line, then looking north along the Ohio River through the Parkersburg Bridge trusses to check out another bridge, the Parkersburg Memorial Toll Bridge. Now that US 50 bypasses Parkersburg and takes through traffic off of WV 618, I see no reason to pay the toll.

Modern US 50

Into Ohio on OH 32
To OH 7
Over to the Parkersburg Memorial Toll Bridge
Back to West Virginia Roads
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