Dec 16, 2020 Submitted photo The West Virginia Department of Transportation is remembering the lives of 46 people who were killed in the Dec. 15, 1967, collapse of the Silver Bridge. CHARLESTON — On Tuesday, the West Virginia Department of Transportation is remembering the lives of 46 people who were killed in the December 15, 1967, collapse of the Silver Bridge. The bridge connected Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Gallipolis, Ohio, and collapsed during rush hour traffic. The tragedy led to the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1968, which established a National Bridge Inspection Program. Bridge safety inspectors use these standards today. “The first time I was ever in Point Pleasant was on a family vacation,” said Tracy Brown, P.E., State Bridge Engineer. “My dad told me ‘this is where the Silver Bridge fell, and we lost people we loved.’ It made a huge impact on me that that could happen. At the West Virginia Division of Highways, every time we train new bridge inspectors, we talk about the Silver Bridge. It is the reason we do what we do. If you’re related to the bridge industry in some way in your career, it’s not just a career or a job. It’s a mission you’re on to keep this from ever happening again.”