The
New River Gorge Bridge is a steel-
arch bridgeAn arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
, in
FayettevilleFayetteville is a town in and the county seat of Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,754 at the 2000 census.Fayetteville was listed as one of the 2006 "Top 10 Coolest Small Towns in America" by Budget Travel Magazine....
,
West VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. With a length of , it was for many years the longest in the world of that type. Its arch extends . Part of U.S. Highway 19, it is crossed by an average of 16,200 motor vehicles per day. Its construction marked the completion of
Corridor LCorridor L is part of the Appalachian Development Highway System in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It follows the path of U.S. Route 19 between Beckley and Sutton...
.
The New River Gorge Bridge carries U.S. Highway 19 over the New River at a height of 876 feet (267 m), making it the highest vehicular bridge in the Americas, and the second-highest in the world.
The
New River Gorge Bridge is a steel-
arch bridgeAn arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
, in
FayettevilleFayetteville is a town in and the county seat of Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,754 at the 2000 census.Fayetteville was listed as one of the 2006 "Top 10 Coolest Small Towns in America" by Budget Travel Magazine....
,
West VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. With a length of , it was for many years the longest in the world of that type. Its arch extends . Part of U.S. Highway 19, it is crossed by an average of 16,200 motor vehicles per day. Its construction marked the completion of
Corridor LCorridor L is part of the Appalachian Development Highway System in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It follows the path of U.S. Route 19 between Beckley and Sutton...
.
The New River Gorge Bridge carries U.S. Highway 19 over the New River at a height of 876 feet (267 m), making it the highest vehicular bridge in the Americas, and the second-highest in the world. Before the 2004 opening of the
Millau ViaductThe Millau Viaduct is an enormous cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau in southern France. Designed by the structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster, it is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with one mast's summit at —...
in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, it was the highest in the world.
History
Construction began on the bridge in June 1974, and completed on October 22, 1977. It was designed by the Michael Baker Company, under the direction of Chief Engineer Clarence V. Knudsen, and executed by
U.S. SteelThe United States Steel Corporation , more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an integrated steel producer with major production operations in the United States, Canada, and Central Europe. The company is the world's tenth largest steel producer ranked by sales...
's
American Bridge DivisionThe American Bridge Company is a privately held civil engineering firm specializing in the construction and renovation of bridges and other large civil engineering projects, founded in 1900, and headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.-Products and industry positioning:The...
. Final cost of construction was $37 million (approximately $4 million over bid). It is made from COR-TEN steel. The use of COR-TEN in construction presented several challenges; notable among them was ensuring that the weld-points weathered at the same rate as the rest of the steel.
Many locals say, with little exaggeration, that completion of the bridge cut the travel time from one side of the gorge to the other from 45 minutes to 45 seconds.
Culture and jumping
The bridge is the centerpiece of
Fayette CountyFayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 47,579. Its county seat is Fayetteville.-History:...
's "
Bridge DayBridge Day is an annual one-day festival in Fayetteville, West Virginia and sponsored by the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, that commemorates the 1977 completion of the New River Gorge Bridge. It is always held on the third Saturday in October. On this day, all four lanes of the bridge are...
," during which the bridge is closed to vehicular traffic. Until recently, the bridge was half-open, with two way traffic. Security concerns have prompted the closing of the entire span to vehicles during the festival. This festival includes demonstrations of
rappellingAbseiling , rappelling in American English, is the controlled descent down a rope; climbers use this technique when a cliff or slope is too steep and/or dangerous to descend without protection...
, ascending and
BASE jumpingB.A.S.E. jumping, also sometimes written as BASE jumping, is an activity that employs an initially packed parachute to jump from fixed objects...
, and is held every October on the third Saturday.
Bungee jumpingBungee jumping is an activity that involves jumping from a tall structure while connected to a large elastic cord. The tall structure is usually a fixed object, such as a building, bridge or crane; but it is also possible to jump from a movable object, such as a hot-air-balloon or helicopter,...
has been banned from Bridge Day since an accident in 1993. The bridge is within the
New River Gorge National RiverThe New River Gorge National River is a unit of the United States National Park Service designed to protect and maintain the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia. Established in 1978, the NPS-protected area stretches for from just downstream of Hinton to Hawks Nest State Park near Ansted.New...
and the
National Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
operates a visitor center at the northern end of the bridge with scenic overlooks and a staircase that descends partially into the gorge.
BASE jumper Brian Lee Schubert, 66, of
Alta Loma, CaliforniaAlta Loma is one of three formerly unincorporated areas that became part of the city of Rancho Cucamonga, California, United States in 1977. The community is located in the foothills of the south face of the San Gabriel Mountain range, near Cucamonga Peak and Mount Baldy. It is located in the...
, died during Bridge Day 2006 (October 21) when his parachute did not open in time. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His death was the first that occurred during BASE jumping at the New River Gorge Bridge Day Festival since 1987, and only the third ever. One other BASE jumper was killed while performing an illegal, non-Bridge Day related jump.
See also
- List of bridges in the United States by height
- Midland Trail
The Midland Trail is a National Scenic Byway which carries U.S. Highway 60 through a portion of Southern West Virginia between Charleston and Sam Black Church...
a National Scenic BywayA National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for its archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and/or scenic qualities. The program was established by Congress in 1991 to preserve and protect the nation's scenic but often...
nearby, connecting to Interstate 64Interstate 64 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. 40, and U.S. 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange with I-264 and I-664 at Bowers Hill in Chesapeake, Virginia. As I-64 is concurrent with U.S. 40 and U.S...
near CharlestonCharleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 53,421, with its urban area having a population of 212,991, and its metropolitan area 309,635...
(western end) and at Sam Black ChurchSam Black Church is an unincorporated community in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. It is located at the intersection of Interstate 64 and U.S. Highway 60 on the Midland Trail, a National Scenic Byway. The community is named for Sam Black Church, a Registered Historic Place which is...
(eastern end)
- State Quarters
External links