Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
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Rio Grande Gorge Bridge | |
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| Nearest city | Taos, NM |
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| Coordinates | 36°28′34.46″N 105°43′56.14″W / 36.4762389°N 105.7322611°WCoordinates: 36°28′34.46″N 105°43′56.14″W / 36.4762389°N 105.7322611°W |
| Built | 1965 |
| Architect | Charles E. Reed, Chief Bridge Engineer; Herman Tachau, Principal Designer |
| Architectural style | Other |
| Governing body | State |
| MPS | Historic Highway Bridges of New Mexico MPS |
| NRHP Reference # | 97000733[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 15, 1997 |
The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, locally known as the "Gorge Bridge" and the "High Bridge",[2] is a steel deck arch bridge across the Rio Grande Gorge 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Taos, New Mexico, United States. At 565 feet (172 m) above the Rio Grande,[3] it is the seventh highest bridge in the United States and 82nd highest bridge in the world.[4]
Construction
The bridge was started in 1963 and completed in 1965.[5] It was dedicated on September 10, 1965 and is a part of U.S. Route 64, a major east–west road. The span is 1,280 feet (390 m): two 300-foot-long (91 m) approach spans with a 600-foot-long (180 m) main center span.
Awards
In 1966 the American Institute of Steel Construction awarded the bridge "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge" in the "Long Span" category.[6]
Restoration
A $2.4 million "facelift" to the bridge was completed in September 2012. This year-long project included repair and restoration work to the 50-year-old bridge including structural steelwork, a new concrete deck surface, new sidewalks, ramps, curbs, and gutters.[5]
Suicide problem
The bridge has been the site of numerous suicides. Authorities are studying ways to prevent suicides there.[7][8]
In popular culture
The bridge has appeared in several films, including Natural Born Killers, Twins, She's Having a Baby, The Signal (2014 film), Paul, Wild Hogs, and Terminator Salvation.
Gallery
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Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, 1970 -
Dedication plaques at bridge, 2008 -
View from bridge, 2006 -
View of bridge and rainbow, 2006
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Taos County, New Mexico
- List of bridges in the United States by height
References
- ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
- ↑ "High Bridge Overlook on US 64 northwest of Taos"
- ↑ "Rio Grande Gorge Bridge"
- ↑ "List of 500 Highest International Bridges"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Santa Fe New Mexican: Crews finish Rio Grande Gorge Bridge face-lift". Retrieved 08 Octl 2012. Check date values in:
|accessdate=(help) - ↑ Prize Bridge : 1960's Winners
- ↑ State studies ways to prevent suicides at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
- ↑ Catalogue of Tears, Part 2
External links
Media related to Rio Grande Gorge Bridge at Wikimedia Commons
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