The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge , locally known as the "Gorge Bridge" or the "High Bridge", is a steel deck arch bridge across the Rio Grande Gorge 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Taos, New Mexico , United States . Roughly 600 feet (180 m) above the Rio Grande , it is the seventh highest bridge in the United States .
9-518: 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 1,280 feet (390 m): two 300-foot-long (91 m) approach spans with a 600-foot-long (180 m) main center span. In 1966 the American Institute of Steel Construction awarded the bridge "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge" in the "Long Span" category. A $ 2.4 million "facelift" to
18-687: A major reason no steps have been taken. Although one of the highest bridges in the US, exactly how high the main span is above ground is up in the air. When it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1967, this distance was cited as 650’ over the Rio Grande . And today that number is still widely used. In 2010 however, the Highest Bridges Web Site came out with a substantially lower (565’) figure. This height
27-581: Is a not-for-profit technical institute and trade association for the use of structural steel in the construction industry of the United States. AISC publishes the Steel Construction Manual, an authoritative volume on steel building structure design that is referenced in all U.S. building codes. The organization works with government agencies, policymakers, and other stakeholders to promote policies and regulations that support
36-693: The Committee was disbanded but some steel fabricators insisted on creating a new association to promote the structural steel industry nationally, founding the National Steel Fabricators Association , which was renamed in 1922 to become the American Institute of Steel Construction, however, the Institute lists 1921 as their foundation year, as that was the year a uniform telegraphic code for the entire industry
45-538: 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. 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
54-650: The industry's growth and development. In 1911, two civil engineering organizations, the Bridge Builders Society and the Structural Steel Society , began cooperating to form broad codes of ethics and practices within the profession. In 1917, during World War I , the two groups merged into the War Service Committee which helped procure fabricated structural steel and coordinate industry efforts. However, by 1919
63-634: The matter was authoritatively resolved. This 600’ 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 . 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 . American Institute of Steel Construction The American Institute of Steel Construction ( AISC )
72-789: Was created by the National Steel Fabricators Association which triggered the group's transformation from a group of steel manufacturers to the industry standard professional society. According to the AISC, the Steel Construction Manual is the "premier reference for structural steel design and construction in the United States" having been published since 1927. Editions are usually made every five to six years to keep up with developments in structural steel codes and standards and to incorporate new materials. This industry -related article
81-486: Was most likely derived using a laser range finder but the site did not specifically reference it that way. Misplaced Pages used this 565’ figure in 2012 when updating its List of bridges in the United States by height , but kept the 650’ (200 meter) figure for the bridge in its Rio Grande del Norte National Monument article. And then in 2015, a height of 600’ appeared on the scene. An author of a bridge book noted this discrepancy and recommended this compromise number be used until
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