The Tallest Bridges in the United States

Some of the world’s tallest bridges are found in the United States. Four of the tallest bridges in the country are more than 700 feet in height. The distance between the lowest point of the surface lying below the bridge and the deck of the bridge is recognized as the height of a bridge. The surface below the bridge could either be land or water.

The Tallest Bridges In The United States

The Royal Gorge Bridge

The tallest bridge in the country is the Royal Gorge Bridge which has a height of 955 feet. The tall bridge is found in the State of Colorado, near Canon City. George E. Cole came up with the bridge’s design and his company, the George E. Cole Construction Company, built the bridge. The bridge was constructed between June 1929 and November 1929, and it was opened on December 8th, 1929.

Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge

The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge has a height of 900 feet. The bridge is named in honor of two great Americans; Mike O’Callaghan who once served as governor of Nevada, and Pat Tillman, a former football player who was killed while serving in the US Army in Afghanistan. The bridge was constructed between February 2005 and October 2010. The bridge was opened on October 16th, 2010 making it the newest of America’s top four tallest bridges. The bridge is the most expensive of the tallest bridges in America as it was built at the cost of $114 million.

New River Gorge Bridge

The New River in Fayette County is crossed by a tall steel arch bridge known as the New River Gorge Bridge. The bridge is the third-tallest in the country and the tallest in the State of West Virginia, with a height of 876 feet. The single-span arch bridge is 3,030 feet in length, making it the nation’s longest of its kind and the fourth longest in the world. The Michael Baker Company is credited with the designing of the tall bridge while its construction was done by the American Bridge Division of US Steel using COR-TEN steel. Construction of the bridge took place between 1974 and 1977 at the cost of about $37 million. The bridge was opened on October 22nd, 1977. Daily traffic across the bridge is relatively high, with an estimated 16,200 vehicles crossing the New River Gorge Bridge each day.

Foresthill Bridge

Placer County in California is home to the Foresthill Bridge, a road bridge that crosses the North Fork American River. The bridge spans 2,428 feet in total length and stretches 862 feet at its longest span. The bridge has a height of 730 feet making it the State of California’s tallest bridge, and ranking fourth among the country’s tallest bridges. Also known as the Auburn Bridge, the tall bridge carried both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Fabrication of the steel deck of the bridge was done by Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries in 1971. Willamette Western Contractors constructed the bridge at the cost of about $13 million, with the bridge being opened in 1973.

Other Tallest Bridges

Some of the other tallest bridges in the United States include the Glen Canyon Dam Bridge in Arizona and the Phil G. McDonald Bridge (Glade Creek Bridge) in West Virginia.