Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

Construction

The bridge was started in 1963 and completed in 1965. It was dedicated on September 10, 1965 and is a part of U.S. Route 64, a major east–west road. The span is 1280 ft: two 300 ft approach spans with a 600 ft main center span.

Awards

In 1966, the American Institute of Steel Construction awarded the bridge "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge" in the "Long Span" category.

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.

Suicide problem

The bridge has been the site of numerous suicides. Authorities are studying ways to deter suicides, including the construction of suicide barriers, such as higher fencing, netting, or more security, and also hotline buttons, but cite money as a major reason no steps have been taken.

Bridge height discrepancy

Although one of the highest bridges in the United States, exactly how high the main span is above ground is unclear. When it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1967, this distance was cited as 650 ft over the Rio Grande. Today, that number is still widely used.

However, in 2010, the Highest Bridges Web Site came out with a substantially lower (565 ft) figure. This height was most likely derived using a laser range finder but the site did not specifically reference it that way. Wikipedia used this 565 ft figure in 2012 when updating its List of bridges in the United States by height, but kept the 650 ft figure for the bridge in its Rio Grande del Norte National Monument article. In 2015, a height of 600 ft appeared on the scene. An author of a bridge book noted this discrepancy and recommended this compromise number be used until the matter was authoritatively resolved. This height figure then cropped up in a January 2016 Materials Performance Magazine white paper about the bridge's then just completed inspection by the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

In popular culture

The bridge has appeared in several films, including Natural Born Killers, Twins, White Sands, She's Having a Baby, The Signal, Paul, Vacation, Wild Hogs, and Terminator Salvation.

Gallery

File:Rio Grande Gorge bridge, 1970.jpg| File:Rio Grande Gorge Bridge Plaques.jpg| File:Rio grande gorge rainbow.JPG| File:Crisis hotline communication pillar at Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.jpg| File:Rio Grande Gorge 2.jpg|View from bridge, 2017 File:2021 Rio Grande Gorge near Taos, New Mexico.jpg|2021 panorama view Image:RioGrandGorge.jpg|View of the Rio Grande Gorge near Taos, New Mexico

References

References

1. {{NRISref
2. [https://www.publiclands.org/explore/site.php?id=67 "High Bridge Overlook on US 64 northwest of Taos"]
3. "Highest Bridges in the United States".
4. "Santa Fe New Mexican: Crews finish Rio Grande Gorge Bridge face-lift".
5. [https://www.aisc.org/contentNSBA.aspx?id=21368 Prize Bridge : 1960's Winners]
6. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120229190857/https://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Rio-Grande-Gorge-Bridge-Stopping-the-suicides State studies ways to prevent suicides at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge]
7. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100102154748/https://taosdaily.com/index.php?fuseaction=home.viewarticle&article_id=2338 Catalogue of Tears, Part 2]
8. "Suicide deterrents at Río Grande Gorge Bridge gain momentum". The Taos News.
9. "National Register of Historic Places".
10. "Rio Grande Gorge Bridge".
11. "Taos Gorge Bridge".
12. "Highest Bridges in the US".
13. Bausch, Frank A. (2015). The Bridges of North America; A Pictorial Travelogue, Amazon (Create Space) {{ISBN. 978-0985351779
14. "New Mexico's Iconic Steel Bridge".
15. "Rio Grande Gorge Bridge {{!}} A Landmark Site in Taos, New Mexico".