Roanoke’s Memorial Bridge is officially dedicated to Roanoke’s veterans of World War I and features five plaques that were created by members of Roanoke City Council. Four of them feature quotations from notable historic figures: Patrick Henry, Theodore Roosevelt, Stonewall Jackson and Thomas Jefferson; with the fifth containing the names of all the soldiers from Roanoke who died in World War I.
Although dedicated to the veterans who fought in World War I, many did not attend the dedication ceremony due to it not being originally conceived as a monument to former servicemen. The bridge was officially rededicated on November 11, 1991, sixty-five years after its original dedication.
Built by contractor W.W. Boxley, construction commenced on Memorial Bridge in the summer 1925 and it officially opened to traffic on May 6, 1926, at a final cost of $282,750. The bridge serves as a connection between the southwestern areas of the city (including the Grandin Village area) with central Roanoke.
Roanoke Star Photographer Terry Aldhizer took this photo of the bridge under sun-streaked skies in early October before the leaves had begun to turn.
