The New River Gorge Bridge is a steel arch bridge 3,030 feet (924 m) long over the New River Gorge near Fayetteville, West Virginia, in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. The New River Gorge Bridge was for many years the worlds longest single-span arch bridge; it is now the third longest and one of the highest vehicular bridges in the world.

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New River Gorge Bridge

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

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Completed in 1977, the New River Gorge Bridge is the third-highest bridge in the US and the longest single-arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. Made from 22,000 tons of structural steel, it rises 876ft above the New River and stretches 3030ft across the gorge. For the best view of the span, head to the overlooks behind the Canyon Rim Visitor Center or join a Bridgewalk tour.

The bridge is open to pedestrians and BASE jumpers on Bridge Day, a festival held annually on the third Saturday of October. The bridge shortened the time needed to cross the gorge – from 40 minutes to less than a minute.