The New River Gorge Bridge is a steel arch bridge 3,030 feet (924Â m) long over the New River Gorge near Fayetteville, West Virginia, in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. With an arch 1,700 feet (518Â m) long, the New River Gorge Bridge was for many years the world's longest single-span arch bridge; it is now the fourth longest. Part of U.S. Route 19, its construction marked the completion of Corridor L of the Appalachian Development Highway System. The bridge is crossed by an average of 16,200 motor vehicles per day.
The roadway of the New River Gorge Bridge is 876 feet (267Â m) above the New River. The New River Gorge Bridge is one of the highest vehicular bridges in the world, and is currently the third highest in the United States. In 2005, the structure gained nationwide attention when the US Mint issued the West Virginia state quarter with the bridge depicted on one side. In 2013, the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
History
Construction began on the bridge in June 1974, and was completed on October 22, 1977. The bridge was designed by the Michael Baker Company under the direction of Chief Engineer Clarence V. Knudsen, and executed by U.S. Steel's American Bridge Division. 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.
At the time, the bridge was the West Virginia Department of Highways' largest project in its history, important both in terms of its overall cost, and that the federal government provided 70 percent of the funding. Construction gave a boost to the state and local economy; completion improved transportation. The bridge cut the vehicle travel time from one side of the gorge to the other from about 45 minutes to 45 seconds.
On August 14, 2013, the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Even though it was not yet 50 years old, it was listed for its exceptional impact on local transportation and its engineering significance.
Tourism
The New River Gorge Bridge is within the National Park Service's New River Gorge National River area, which protects this portion of the New River Gorge. At the northern end of the bridge, the Park Service operates a visitor center; it has scenic overlooks and a staircase that descends part of the way into the gorge.
A steel catwalk two feet (60Â cm) wide runs the full length of the bridge underneath the roadway. Originally built to facilitate inspections, the catwalk is open for guided, handicapped-accessible quarter-mile "Bridge Walk" tours; visitors use safety rigging.
Since its opening, the bridge has been the centerpiece of Fayette County's "Bridge Day", held the third Saturday of every October. This festival includes demonstrations of rappelling, ascending, and BASE jumping. Bungee jumping, however, has been banned during Bridge Day since 1993.
The bridge is closed to vehicular traffic during the festival. Prior to the September 11th terrorist attacks, two of the bridge's four lanes were open to traffic during the festivals. Since 2001, security concerns have caused the entire span to be closed to vehicles during these events.
The first person to jump off the New River Gorge Bridge was Burton Ervin, who lives in Cowen, West Virginia, and was a coal-mine foreman. Burton jumped on August 1, 1979, using a conventional North American Aerodynamics Mini Rig System with a 32-foot Lopo canopy. Four BASE jumpers have died at the bridge, three of these during Bridge Day festivals.
Probably because of its height (and lack of barriers), the bridge has regularly attracted suicide jumpers, despite its relatively remote location.
Gallery
See also
- Bridges portal
- West Virginia portal
- 50 State Quarters
- List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in West Virginia
- List of bridges in the United States by height
- List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
- List of highest bridges
- List of suicide sites
- Midland Trail, a nearby National Scenic Byway
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Fayette County, West Virginia
- New River Gorge National River, the park surrounding the bridge
References and notes
External links
- Bridge Day (official site)
- Bridge Day History
- New River Gorge Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels
- New River Gorge Bridge at Roads to the Future
- New River Gorge Bridge at HighestBridges.com
- New River Gorge Bridge at Structurae
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. WV-41, "New River Gorge Bridge, Spanning New River near Fayetteville, Fayetteville, Fayette County, WV", 12 photos, 1 color transparency, 3 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
