Tag Archives: Wheeling

Best Bridge – Bridge Madness 2025

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The Mid-Hudson Bridge in Poughkeepsie wins Bridge Madness 2025 with 88% of the votes.

Thank you for participating in the 2025 Bridge Madness Tournament! I hope you had as much fun voting as I did watching the votes add up. There were several surprises in this year’s match-up. Multiple iconic bridges got knocked out early; and the Mid-Hudson Bridge inspired a strong following right from the beginning.

As a reminder, this year’s tournament featured suspension bridges visited by urbantraipsing nationally and internationally. Below is the completed brackets for Bridge Madness 2025. To learn more about the bridges, revisit the introduction which has links to posts on each bridge. Keep scrolling to see past winners and for an opportunity to send me feedback on Bridge Madness.

I’m already brainstorming for Bridge Madness 2026. Hope you come back!

Past Winners

Bridge Madness 2024: Pittsburgh Pedestrian Bridges Winner – East Liberty Station Pedestrian Bridge

Bridge Madness 2023: Pittsburgh River Bridges Winner – Smithfield Street Bridge

Bridge Madness 2025 Map

Send me Feedback!

Bridge Madness started from a conversation with one of urbantraipsing’s fans. I added links to posts about the bridges in the introduction this year based on feedback from participants in prior years. Now it’s your turn to send me feedback. Do you have suggestions that would make the tournaments more fun? Thoughts on how to engage more people in voting? A bridge you recommend I add to my list of bridges to explore?

Also, I make a postcard every year announcing Bridge Madness, if you fill in your address below, I will add you to my mailing list for next year (the postcard is the only mailing I will send you).

Go back

Your message has been sent

Did you enjoy voting on bridges from a variety of locations?

Bridge Madness 2025 – Championship

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Rules

In the 2025 Bridge Madness Tournament, 16 suspension bridges go pier-to-pier in a reader’s choice tournament to pick the best one. This year’s tournament features suspension bridges visited by urbantraipsing nationally and internationally.

Results of the Final Four:

  • 6th Street Bridge vs. Manhattan Bridge – 69% to 31%
  • Albert Bridge vs. Mid-Hudson Bridge – 15% to 85%

Below is the bracket for the Championship. To learn more about the bridges, revisit the introduction which has links to posts on each bridge.

Championship

6th Street Bridge – Pittsburgh
Mid-Hudson Bridge – Poughkeepsie

Bridge Madness 2025 Map

Bridge Madness 2025 – Final Four

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Rules

In the 2025 Bridge Madness Tournament, 16 suspension bridges go pier-to-pier in a reader’s choice tournament to pick the best one. This year’s tournament features suspension bridges visited by urbantraipsing nationally and internationally.

Results of the Elite Eight:

  • 6th Street Bridge vs. 7th Street Bridge – 64% to 36%
  • Brooklyn Bridge vs. Manhattan Bridge – 44% to 56%
  • Albert Bridge vs. Golden Gate Bridge – 51% to 49%
  • Mid-Hudson Bridge vs. Tower Bridge – 79% to 21%

Below are the brackets for the Final Four. Remember to vote for one bridge in each bracket by noon on Thursday, March 20th, and then return on March 22th to vote for the Championship.

The bridges are divided into two conferences: New York City and Great Lakes Region vs. National and International. To learn more about the bridges, revisit the introduction which has links to posts on each bridge.

New York City and Great Lakes Region

6th Street Bridge – Pittsburgh
Manhattan Bridge – New York City

National and International

Albert Bridge – London
Mid-Hudson Bridge – Poughkeepsie

Bridge Madness 2025 Map

Bridge Madness 2025 – Elite Eight

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Rules

In the 2025 Bridge Madness Tournament, 16 suspension bridges go pier-to-pier in a reader’s choice tournament to pick the best one. This year’s tournament features suspension bridges visited by urbantraipsing nationally and internationally.

Results of the Sweet Sixteen:

  • 6th Street Bridge vs. Roebling Suspension Bridge – 52% to 48%
  • 7th Street Bridge vs. Wheeling Suspension Bridge – 60% to 40%
  • 9th Street Bridge vs. Brooklyn Bridge – 28% to 72%
  • South 10th Street Bridge vs. Manhattan Bridge – 16% to 74%
  • Albert Bridge vs. Lions Gate Bridge – 58% to 42%
  • Chelsea Bridge vs. Golden Gate Bridge – 35% to 65%
  • Jubilee Bridges vs. Mid-Hudson Bridge – 10% to 90%
  • Tower Bridge vs. Bosphorus Bridge – 83% to 17%

Below are the brackets for the Elite Eight. Remember to vote for one bridge in each bracket by noon on Thursday, March 13th, and then return on March 15th to vote for the Final Four.

The bridges are divided into two conferences: New York City and Great Lakes Region vs. National and International. To learn more about the bridges, revisit the introduction which has links to posts on each bridge.

New York City and Great Lakes Region

6th Street Bridge – Pittsburgh
7th Street Bridge – Pittsburgh
Brooklyn Bridge – New York City
Manhattan Bridge – New York City

National and International

Albert Bridge – London
Golden Gate Bridge – San Francisco
Mid-Hudson Bridge – Poughkeepsie
Tower Bridge – London

Bridge Madness 2025 Map

Bridge Madness 2025 – Sweet Sixteen

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Rules

In the 2025 Bridge Madness Tournament, 16 suspension bridges go pier-to-pier in a reader’s choice tournament to pick the best one. This year’s tournament features suspension bridges visited by urbantraipsing nationally and internationally. Below are the brackets for the Sweet Sixteen. Remember to vote for one bridge in each bracket by noon on Thursday, March 6th, and then return on March 8th to vote for the Elite Eight.

The bridges are divided into two conferences: New York City and Great Lakes Region vs. National and International. To learn more about the bridges, revisit the introduction which has links to posts on each bridge.

New York City and Great Lakes Region

6th Street Bridge – Pittsburgh
Roebling Suspension Bridge – Cincinnati
7th Street Bridge – Pittsburgh
Wheeling Suspension Bridge – Wheeling
9th Street Bridge – Pittsburgh
Brooklyn Bridge – New York City
S. 10th Street Bridge – Pittsburgh
Manhattan Bridge – New York City

National and International

Albert Bridge – London
Lions Gate Bridge – Vancouver
Chelsea Bridge – London
Golden Gate Bridge – San Francisco
Jubilee Bridges – London
Mid-Hudson Bridge – Poughkeepsie
Tower Bridge – London
Bosphorus Bridge – Istanbul

Bridge Madness 2025 Map

Bridge Madness 2025 – Introduction

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Rules

In the 2025 Bridge Madness Tournament, 16 suspension bridges go pier-to-pier in a reader’s choice tournament to pick the best one. This year’s tournament features suspension bridges visited by urbantraipsing nationally and internationally. Beginning March 1, you will be able to vote for your favorite bridge in each bracket. The champion bridge will be announced on March 29. Don’t forget to come back each week to vote your favorite bridge to #1!

Each round of voting will go live at 8 AM on the scheduled Saturday and close at noon the following Thursday. The schedule is:

  • March 1 – Sweet Sixteen
  • March 8 – Elite Eight
  • March 15 – Final Four
  • March 22 – Championship
  • March 29 – Winner announced

The bridges are divided into two conferences: New York City and Great Lakes Region vs. National and International.

New York City and Great Lakes Region

The suspension bridges in the New York City and Great Lakes Region Conference are below. Click on the links to learn more about urbantraipsing’s encounter with each bridge.

National and International

The suspension bridges in the National and International Conference are below. Click on the links to learn more about urbantraipsing’s encounter with each bridge.

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Bridge Madness 2025 Map

In Search of Roebling

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Last summer’s search for Roebling bridges (see Market St, Steubenville and Wheeling Suspension Bridge) came to a successful end as a golden sunset spread over Cincinnati.  The reason we struck out earlier in the day is that the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge is one of the two remaining Roebling suspension bridges.  The other is, of course, his most famous bridge: the Brooklyn Bridge.  The first of Roebling’s five suspension bridges was built in Pittsburgh at the site of the current Smithfield Street Bridge, but lasted less than 40 years before the increased river and road traffic made it obsolete.

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Between Roebling’s two remaining bridges, I found the Cincinnati bridge more appealing.  Its character feels like it would fit right in on the Thames in London.  I also appreciated the engaging green spaces at either end.  The birds liked this bridge, too.

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Sunset from the Roebling Bridge

 

 

 

Brooklyn Bridge

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Yesterday, as I was writing my post about the Wheeling Suspension Bridge by Roebling’s competitor, I was fascinated to discover that I never wrote a post about my walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I decided to rectify the situation. The more I worked on it; the more fascinated I became. At this point, nearly 5 years after having walked it, all I can surmise is that I must have been very tired and/or hungry while crossing it.

In my post on the Manhattan Bridge, I mention how much more I liked that bridge than the Brooklyn Bridge. I can remember how much more thought provoking I found the Manhattan Bridge, but in looking back at my photos, I am shocked at how uninspiring I found the Brooklyn Bridge. I think it may hold the record for the fewest number of photos I’ve taken of any of the bridges I have walked. Especially, if we look at number of photos versus the length of the bridge. I suppose there may have been some other factors such as the construction zone on parts of the bridge.

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Another factor may have been the fact that the walkway is in the center of the bridge and above level of the traffic. While I remember this as a highlight and an intriguing part of the bridge, I also seem to recall that it may have caused interference with framing any potential photos.

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I will take back some of my comments on the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. While both bridges do have a lot of structural parts holding them up, those of the Wheeling bridge were much more fascinating. This may in part have been because you were able to get up close with them.

Below are the views of the surroundings. On one side you have the Manhattan Bridge and on the other the Statue of Liberty. That is just about the extent of the photos I took from the Brooklyn Bridge.

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I feel that I ought to give this bridge a second chance. If/when I ever make it back to New York City, I think I will have to walk it again (maybe after a good meal). The problem here is that my last trip there in 2012 when I first walked the bridge confirmed for me that New York is really not the city for me and I have no plans to make a trip back anytime soon.

 

Wheeling Suspension Bridge

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Wheeling Bridge - straight on

I had a blast with the Wheeling Suspension Bridge.  First, I was fascinated by how it was squeezed between the buildings on the mainland side.  Second, as an early suspension bridge, it has many parts to ensure that it would stay up, which provided more than the average opportunity to attempt to be artistic in photographing it.

Artsy shot 1
Artsy shot 2
Artsy shot 3

The Wheeling Suspension Bridge was the largest suspension bridge in the world when it was built.  Charles Ellet won the competition to design the bridge over John Roebling.  There are some similarities in style between this bridge and Roebling’s Brooklyn Bridge with the stone piers and suspension ropes.  Before we walked across this one and read the plaque, we were under the impression that it was a Roebling bridge.

Wheeling Bridge.jpg

Wheeling has two different trends of riverfront uses than those found in Stuebenville.  On one side of the river (island side), is riverfront housing of surprisingly old construction.  On the other side (city side), is a modern riverfront park with bike trail.

Riverfront homes
Riverfront park