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}} The New River Gorge Bridge is a steel arch bridge long over the New River Gorge near Fayetteville, West Virginia, in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. With an arch long, the New River Gorge Bridge was for many years the world's longest single-span arch bridge;〔(George R. Carter, Jr. ) "Mind the Gap: Building the World's Longest Steel-Arch Bridge," ''American Heritage'', April/May 2006.〕 it is now the third longest. Part of U.S. Route 19, its construction marked the completion of Corridor L of the Appalachian Development Highway System. The bridge is crossed by an average of 16,200 motor vehicles per day. The roadway of the New River Gorge Bridge is above the New River.〔 The New River Gorge Bridge is one of the highest vehicular bridges in the world, and is currently the third highest in the United States. In 2005, the structure gained nationwide attention when the US Mint issued the West Virginia state quarter with the bridge depicted on one side. In 2013, the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ==History== Construction began on the bridge in June 1974, and completed on October 22, 1977. It was designed by the Michael Baker Company, under the direction of Chief Engineer Clarence V. Knudsen, and executed by U.S. Steel's American Bridge Division. Final cost of construction was $37 million (approximately $4 million over bid). It is made from COR-TEN steel. The use of COR-TEN in construction presented several challenges; notable among them was ensuring that the weld-points weathered at the same rate as the rest of the steel. At the time, the bridge was the West Virginia Department of Highways’ largest project in its history, important both in terms of its overall cost, and that the federal government provided 70 percent of the funding. Construction gave a boost to the state and local economy, completion improved transportation. The bridge cut the vehicle travel time from one side of the gorge to the other from about 45 minutes to 45 seconds.〔 On August 14, 2013, the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Even though the bridge was not yet 50 years old, it was listed for its exceptional impact on local transportation and its engineering significance.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「New River Gorge Bridge」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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