An earlier metal truss bridge crossed the James River several hundred feet west of the present concrete and steel bridge. Old Bridge Lane, now a quiet suburban street, was the approach. The late 1940s replacement bridge has a delicate metal rail that allows views of the riverscape. Westham Station Road, which extends on the west side of the bridge, runs along one of the more intact sections of the Kanawha Canal. This is part of the first section completed between Richmond and the village of Westham. The Chesapeake and Ohio train tracks were laid in 1889 on the towpath, on the south side of the canal. George Washington's vision of a transportation route west was finally realized by rail, despite persistent efforts through the late 1870s to operate the canal.