![]() ![]() Some pieces were too heavy to be transported by trucks and had to be lifted from the train tracks at bottom of the gorge by the cable-way.Īnother innovation was the tie-back system used to support the arch pieces during construction until it could support itself. Most of the bridge pieces were delivered by railroad to Nallen, WV, and then transported by trucks over 19 miles to the construction site. The two trolleys were capable of transporting 50 tons each which allowed for portions weighing up to 92 tons to be moved into place when they worked together. A four-tower cable-way was erected to span the gorge with airborne trolleys, cables and hoisting machinery to move the massive steel members into place. The New River Gorge Bridge would become the longest single span arch bridge in the World.ĭue to the chosen arch design and the depth of the gorge, construction required innovative engineering and construction techniques. The design that suited the surroundings of the New River Gorge and dealt with the challenges the gorge presented for construction was a single 1700 foot arch span design. Several types of bridges were considered including two different suspension bridge designs: an arch truss design and a continuous truss design. The first challenge in designing the New River Gorge Bridge was choosing the type of bridge capable of spanning the 3030 foot wide gorge, 876 feet above the New River. This special steel blends in well with the surrounding environment and eliminates the need for repainting as the oxidation is a natural protectant. All of the structural steel used for the Bridge is USS COR-TEN Steel, which oxidizes with age and gives the Bridge its dark russet color. Most of the 22,000 tons of structural steel for the bridge project was fabricated at the American Bridge Division’s Ambridge, Pennsylvania plant. This engineering marvel took three years to complete and cost nearly 37 million dollars. Construction of the Bridge began in June of 1974 and was completed on October 22, 1977. The New River Gorge Bridge was designed by the Michael Baker Company, under the direction of Chief Engineer Clarence V. ![]()
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