The New River Gorge Bridge is a steel arch bridge long over the New River Gorge near Fayetteville, West Virginia, in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. With an arch long, the New River Gorge Bridge was the world's longest single-span arch bridge for 26 years; it is now the seventh longest and the longest outside of China. Part of U.S. Route 19, its construction marked the completion of Corridor L of the Appalachian Development Highway System. An average of 16,200 motor vehicles cross the bridge each day.

The roadway of the New River Gorge Bridge is above the New River,

The Federal Government decided to get involved and created the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to try and recover the economy of the New River Gorge region, specifically Fayette County. Many people saw the tourist opportunities in the area because of the scenery and decided that this would be the best way to rebuild the economy of the region. One of the main things needed to increase tourism was a viable transportation route to the area. This led to the project known as Corridor L (Route 19), which the New River Gorge Bridge is a part of. The last piece of the Corridor was the bridge which was going to be the most challenging part of the project. Unfortunately, one death accorded in the construction along with other injuries when the cable towers collapsed.

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.

Since its opening, the bridge has been the centerpiece of Fayette County's "Bridge Day," held the third Saturday of every October. 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 11 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 parachute. 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.

National Park Status

After the construction of Corridor L, some believed that the area should be totally built up to support the local economy. This included building large resorts along the gorge like those seen in North Carolina. However, others disagreed and wanted the gorge to remain a natural, undeveloped area. Those favoring leaving the area in its natural state eventually won when Congress designated the area a national river on November 10, 1978, protecting the river from any further destruction.

  • New River Gorge Bridge is a location in the game Fallout 76
  • Featured in 2002 film Steal.

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Image:West Virginia quarter, reverse side, 2005.jpg|The West Virginia state quarter, released in 2005, features the New River Gorge Bridge.

Image:NewRiverBridge West virginia.jpg|Bridge as seen from the National Park Service Visitors Center, with fog in the New River Gorge below

Image:NewRiverGorgeBridgeSpansWV.jpg|Close-up of the bridge supports

Image:New_River_Gorge_Bridge_walkway.jpg|Walkway to observation area near the Visitors Center

Image:NRGfromair.jpg|The New River Gorge Bridge as seen from a small fixed-wing airplane. The Tunney Hunsaker Bridge is also visible.

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See also

  • 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 Park and Preserve, the park surrounding the bridge

References and notes

  • 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