New River Gorge Bridge Fayetteville, WV

Presenters Shaun Long – Michael Baker Jr. Inc. Bridge Engineer Josh Derechin – Michael Baker Jr. Inc. Senior Technical Manager Jimmy Wriston – West Virginia DOT

Crossing the Gorge Fayette Station Road Built in 1909, Only way to cross the gorge Corridor L, US19, began in 1960 Tunney Hunsacker Bridge

Crossing the Gorge Turn a 45 minute trip into 45 seconds Making the impossible a reality “new transportation and new life blood” – John D. Rockefeller, IV

Bridge was immortalized by US Mint

New River Gorge Bridge Design Construction Inspection Tourism

New River Gorge Bridge Design Construction Inspection Tourism

Design Bridge Types Considered Arch Bridge (Top) Suspension Bridge (Bottom) Deck Truss

Design Manhours for design were equivalent of one man working 40 hours per week for 15 years Design calculation sheets totaled 4,759 Baker engineers checked approximately 1,490 shop drawings Baker engineers analyzed 75+ erection procedures and 1,200 sheets of accompanying calculations

Design Features COR-TEN Steel High-Strength Aesthetic Beauty Lowe Maintenance

Bridge Statistics – Record Setting Upon opening, it was the second highest highway bridge in the world. Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado built in 1929 Record currently held by Siduhe River Bridge, China. 1627 ft

Bridge Statistics – Record Setting Upon opening, it was the longest Arch Bridge in the world. 2003 – Lupu Bridge in China broke record

Bridge Statistics – Arch Length Chaotianmen Bridge 1,811 Ft. 2009 China Lupu Bridge 1,804 Ft. 2003 Bosideng Bridge 1,739 Ft. 2012 New River Gorge Bridge 1,700 Ft. 1977 U.S. Bayonne Bridge 1,673 Ft. 1931

Bridge Statistics – Arch Height Zhijinghe River Bridge 1,410 Ft. 2009 China Beipanjiang River Railway Bridge 774 Ft. 2001 Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge 886 Ft. 2010 U.S. New River Gorge Bridge 876 Ft. 1977

Bridge Statistics – Arch Height

Bridge Statistics 34 Million Pounds of Structural Steel Equivalent to 120 Boeing 747’s 7,555 Full Size Pick Up’s

New River Gorge Bridge Design Construction Inspection Tourism

Construction WVDOH awarded a contract to U.S. Steel for the construction of the bridge June 21, 1973 Bid Results $33,984,012 - U.S. Steel $41,116,118 - Allied Structural Steel, Inland Ryerson Construction Products $46,383,282 – Bethlehem Steel Corp. $52,496,017 – Bristol Steel, Iron Works Inc. Most expensive project awarded by WVDOH at the time 2013 cost of bridge $173 million

Construction Uniquely Designed Cableway

Construction Uniquely Designed Cableway

Construction Uniquely Designed Cableway

Construction

Construction

Opening Opened October 22, 1977 Representing Man’s ability to challenge and overcome nature’s barriers

New River Gorge Bridge Design Construction Inspection Tourism

New River Gorge Bridge Design Construction Inspection Tourism

Tourism Foresight to add Visitors center during construction

Tourism Bridge Day – Third Saturday in October

Tourism