History of the New River Gorge Bridge

The New River Gorge Bridge is located in Fayetteville, West Virginia. It is part of U.S. Highway 19 and is 3,030 feet long. It is the highest bridge for cars in the country and the second highest in the world after the Millau Viaduct in France. About 16,000 vehicles go over the bridge each day.

Construction

The New River Gorge Bridge opened in 1977, taking four years for construction to be completed. It cost $37 million to build.

Design

The Michael Baker Company designed the bridge and it was built by the American Bridge Division of U.S. Steel.

Benefits

The bridge, built over a gorge, supposedly cut travel time down to 45 seconds from 45 minutes.

Bridge Day

On the third Saturday of every October, the New River Gorge Bridge is closed to cars and people are allowed to walk on the bridge.

Accidents

On Bridge Day, people are allowed to rappel or BASE jump from the bridge. Bungee jumping is not allowed since 1993, following an accident.

Resources

• More facts on the New River Gorge Bridge