New River Gorge Bridge

The stamp features the New River Gorge Bridge in Fayette County, West Virginia, and is based on a digital illustration by Dan Cosgrove of Clarendon Hills, Illinois, depicting the bridge as sunset approaches.

One of the highest bridges in the United States, the bridge features a 1,700-foot span that is the longest steel arch in the Western Hemisphere. The Washington Monument could fit under its 876-foot arch with more than 100 yards to spare.

 

The two-hinged deck arch spans a gorge that, before its completion in 1977, required drivers 40 minutes to navigate because of narrow and winding roads. The steel and concrete bridge weighs more than 88 million pounds. Its unpainted, weathering steel oxidizes with age and becomes a rustic brown color that blends the bridge into its rugged surroundings. 

Held on the third Saturday of October, New River Gorge Bridge Day draws more than 100,000 people, including hundreds of rappellers, who descend down the bridge on ropes, and BASE (building, antenna, span, and earth) jumpers

Stamp Issue: 2011.04.11