NEW RIVER GORGE BRIDGE
By: Rich Koors

Table of Contents:  

Photograph provided by the National Parks Service


**Many of the terms used throughout this web page are considered to be engineer's "jargon." To help clear up any confusion that these terms may cause, I have provided an additional page which contains the definitions to these terms. DEFINITIONS

    Up until October 22, 1977, crossing the New River Gorge meant that you had to drive forty minutes down a narrow, windy mountain road. With the erection of the New River Gorge Bridge, travel time across the gorge was shortened to less than a minute.  The bridge is the world's largest steel span and the second highest bridge in the United States.

    The West Virginia Department of Highways contracted a private engineering firm, the renowned Michael Baker, Jr., Inc. to design the plans for the bridge. The construction contract was awarded to the American Bridge Division of U.S. Steel. Because of the tremendous size of the gorge, a four tower cableway was constructed to aid in the positioning of the steel. In 1974, trolleys running along the cableway positioned the first piece of steel. Un-painted U.S.S. Cor-ten steel was used in the construction of the bridge. (Blair, 1991)

BRIDGE STATISTICS:

Height
Bridge Length
Arch Length
Rise
Final Cost
Bid Price
Weight
    Steel
    Concrete
    Heaviest Piece
    Arch
Deck Width




876 ft.
3030 ft.
1700 ft.
360 ft.
$37,000,000
$33,984,000
88,000,000 lbs.
44,000,000 lbs.
44,000,000 lbs.
184,000 lbs.
21,066,000 lbs.
69-1/3 ft.
A view of the bridge from an overlook near the visitor center.
It was important that the designers maintain the natural aesthetic 
appearance of the area. Photograph taken by Rich Koors.

Credit: (National Park Service)

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Photograph taken by Rich Koors.

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