Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, Taos NM | Nearby Businesses

The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, locally known as the "Gorge Bridge" and the "High Bridge", is a steel deck arch bridge across the Rio Grande Gorge 10mi northwest of Taos, New Mexico, United States. At 565ft above the Rio Grande, it is the seventh highest bridge in the United States and 82nd highest bridge in the world.ConstructionThe 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 1280ft: two 300ft approach spans with a 600ft main center span.AwardsIn 1966 the American Institute of Steel Construction awarded the bridge "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge" in the "Long Span" category.RestorationA $2.4 million "facelift" to 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.Suicide problemThe bridge has been the site of numerous suicides. Authorities are studying ways to prevent suicides there.In popular cultureThe bridge has appeared in several films, including Natural Born Killers, Twins, White Sands, She's Having a Baby, The Signal (2014 film), Paul, Wild Hogs, and Terminator Salvation.