West Virginia Bridge Day

Friday, October 18th, 2019 @ 17:00 (5:00pm)

Updated for clarity on Monday, December 2nd, 2019 @ 02:00 (2:00am)

New River Gorge Public Domain CCO

If a friend dared you to jump off a bridge, would you?

Held every 3rd Saturday in October, West Virginia Bridge Day has been an integral part of celebrating our rich heritage in the Mountain State since its inception in 1980. Keep reading below to find out some interesting facts and statistics about what makes Bridge Day such a unique and rewarding experience for individuals and our region alike.

History of the The New River Gorge Bridge

Construction of the bridge began June 1974 and was completed on October 22nd, 1977. Made from COR-TEN steel, this presented a few challenges for the US Steel American Bridge Division: The most notable issue was ensuring that the weld points weathered at the same rate as the rest of steel constructs.

The Bridge, at the time, was the West Virginia Department of Highways’ largest and most transformational transportation project in its history, in terms of both overall cost and importance. Completion of the Bridge improved transportation dramatically; Vehicle travel time from one side of the gorge to the other improved from 45 minutes to a mere 45 seconds!!

Induction Into the National Register of Historic Places

The New River Gorge Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historical Places on August 14th, 2013. The Bridge was not even 40 years old (it had been built and in operation for exactly 39 years) when it gained the honorable induction. Its relatively early entry into the National Register was due to its tremendous impact on local commerce, trade, transportation, and significant engineering implications.

Bridge Day Origins

The first Bridge Day was held on November 8th, 1980 when two brave and adventurous souls parachuted from a plane onto the bridge in front of a crowd that drew approximately 40,000 people! Apprximately 5,500 individuals also walked across the bridge that day as well. Bridge Day has been held every year in the month of October since its inauguration, except for 2001. It was cancelled that year due to the aftermath and national security concerns in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks.

BASE jumping

The most famous and notable events that occur during Bridge Day are BASE jumping and rappelling off the bottom of the bridge. The latter of the two has been an integral part of Bridge Day festivities since 1981.

There have been a total of 4 deaths from individuals BASE jumping, 3 of which that have occurred on Bridge Day.

The first person to BASE jump off the bridge was a coal mine foreman residing in Cowen, West Virginia named Burton Ervin. He jumped off the bridge on August 1, 1979.

Bungee jumping used to be a part of the festivities, but after a multi-person group bungee jump resulted in injuries during the 1993 Bridge Day, it has been banned since.

Bridge Day Stats & Facts

• Number of BASE jumpers: 348 from 33 states (2017)

• Number of jumps made: 714 (2017)

• Number of individuals who rappelled: 329 (2017)

• Number of spectators: Nearly 100,000! (2017)

• The New River Gorge Bridge is the 2nd longest single-arch bridge in the world!

• The first day of operations occurred on October 22nd, 1977

• The first Bridge Day was held on November 8th, 1980

• The amount of vertical space between the Bridge and the New River is exactly 876 feet.

• Construction began in 1974 and was completed 3 years later in 1977

Architectural Statistics (Metric system friendly!)

Length: 3030 feet (923.544 meters)

Height: 876 feet (267.0048 meters)

Width: 70 feet (21.336 meters)

Mass: 88,000,000 (million) pounds of concrete and steel (39,916,128.56kg) (44000 tons)

Other Facts

• The New River Gorge Bridge celebrated its 40th Birthday in 2017

• The arch spans a total of 1,700 feet (518.2 meters) making it the longest steel arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere

• The West Virginia Department of Highways is the legal owner of the Bridge

• The design engineer was Michael Baker, Jr. Inc.

• The contractor was the American Bridge Division - U.S. Steel Corp.

• The bid price was a whopping $33,984,000 (million)

• The final cost was $37,000,000 (million)

• The time to build was 3 years from 1974-1977

• The time to design is as follows: The man hours for design calculations and drawings would be equivalent to a single individual working 40 hours per week for 15 years!