New River Gorge National River

Returning home from Cuyahoga Valley National Park, we chose a route through West Virginia.  We made a slight detour to cross the New River Bridge and then view the bridge from the upper and lower overlooks at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center.  When the bridge was completed in 1977, it was the longest single-arch steel span bridge in the world.  It is also the third-highest bridge in the United States behind the Royal Gorge Bridge over the Arkansas River in Colorado and the Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge that spans the Colorado River downstream of Hoover Dam between Arizona and Nevada.

The visitor center is located at the northeastern (highway north) end of the bridge.  The upper overlook is wheelchair accessible and is just 100 feet or so from the parking area via a sidewalk and connecting boardwalk.  The lower overlook is reached by a series of wooden stairs and connecting walkways that descend approximately 200 feet below the rim of the gorge.

Canyon Rim Visitor Center

Elevated boardwalk

The New River Bridge carries the four lanes of US 19 for 3,030 feet across the gorge.  The roadway is 876 feet above the river and reduced travel time from 45 minutes to less than one minute.  It was constructed by the American Bridge Division of US Steel and utilized a steel alloy called COR-TEN® or weathering steel that eliminates the need to periodically paint the structure.  When exposed to the elements, the steel forms a protective rust-like surface coating that protects the rest of the structure.  

New River Bridge from the lower observation deck

The old Fayette Station bridge

Early evening mist highlights bridge shadows

While we only had time for a brief stop on this trip, we are planning a more extensive visit to the park to take advantage of some of the many biking, hiking, and scenic driving opportunities.

The park website is http://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm.