This video features vintage footage of the building of the New River Gorge Bridge, along with interviews with people who were there during construction.
I grew up going to this bridge every year on bridge day until 2001 when 9/11 happened. Those days are still some of the highlights of my childhood when I crossed that Bridge
I worked on the bridge in 1976 on the Fayetteville side. I took a plane ride with a old guy. 5 dollars. It’s was the Indians from Ny hung the iron. Ride the beam down and connected them. No harness no bs. No place to stay. Indians all camped in tents up in a hollow. I did by our concrete plant closet to town rough work rough men. Old school men.
Grandfather lived near Summersville on RT 39. We'd take the short ride south down from Hico on RT 19 to the overlook about every other time we visited, so I watched this being built.
I remember everyday , since it was built right behind my grandpa s house . We hung out on the the cat walk, more times than I could count . All work trucks past my grandpa s. They ran over my new puppy , full blooded collie . Never forget !
ALONG WITH MY YOUNG FAMILY WE WATCHED AS THE BRIDGE GREW FROM NOTHING. WE MADE THAT 100 MI. TRIP FROM PARKERSBURG TO WATCH IT GROW. MANY MANY YEARS HAVE GONE, MANY TIMES I HAVE VISITED THE BRIDGE, MY LAST VISIT AT THE AGE OF EIGHTY FOUND ME ON A NARROW CATWALK, I WAS ACTUALLY WALKING ACROSS THAT BEAUTIFUL GORGE ! A LIFE EXPERIENCE I RECOMMEND TO ANYONE WHO HAS THE NERVE ! HAAA ! GO TRY IT ! YOU WILL LIKE IT !
My family has many connections to this bridge..Billy Van, you took us on an outing there to show us and carried your little girl on your shoulders. I always think of you honey, a Fayette County deputy.
All you had to do is drive down chimney corner and come straight into Fayetteville. I know it's good that the bridge is there but to go north yeah all you had to do is go down towards back with go through Montgomery ever golly mountain and you were right there in Charleston going north hitting 77 and i-79. Lived here my whole life
Yeah, all you had to do was take a curvy, hilly, dangerous, circuitous hour long drive out of your way instead of just driving 40 seconds across a bridge.
@Commentleaver-c6x that's not what I was saying there was a way to get to where you needed to go before they built the bridge I know they built the bridge and drove their trucks right by my grandfather's house every day while they were building it and if we needed to go to Charleston we'd go over the mountain . And yes this is West Virginia every place you go is a mountain. That wasn't the only way to go before the New River gorge bridge was it wasn't the only way you're talking about fayette station road that's what you're talking about. That was not the only way to get from one side to the other. I mean have you even lived here.
@@Commentleaver-c6x you made a comment that that was the only way it was across the River gorge bridge I was commenting know that wasn't the only way to get anywhere. Yes fat station road is one of the most dangerous roads but going over valley mountain is not that bad I traveled it for over 18 years is a traveling nurse it's not that bad you just have to learn how to drive on these mountain roads. It was no disregard to what you said I just was trying to tell you that was not the only way from across the river you go down to chimney corner you make a left you come in the Fayetteville you make a right you're headed towards Charleston. That's all I was trying to say Fayette station road was not the only wait until the bridge was built it was not that's all I was saying
@ gotcha, obviously the bridge was built to carry the north/south traffic across the gorge on Rt 19, it wasn’t built for making it easier for people who live nearby to go in any particular direction. That’s all I was saying.
I was a field engineer at American Bridge for several years, the New River Bridge was a few years ahead of my time. I worked on several impressive project but none come close to New River. We had a pride and confidence in our abilities rarely seen before or after.
@@danamuchesko9739 I was an ironworker in the 90's and into the 2000's, my local was Scranton Pa but I did a lot of work out of local 3 in Pittsburgh and all the old timers like the guy's who put up the US Steel Building among others always used to talk about working for AB back when US Steel owned them during their glory days, and I did a job down in West Virginia once that a guy I was connecting with told me his dad was on the New River Gorge Bridge job, there's some pretty good pictures of it being built on Pinterest, must have been quite a job to have been on.
What a stupid question this is usually why a bridge is made is to make getting somewhere better and quicker just like when they lay down a new stretch of highway
I will never forget driving my semi truck from Summersville to Beckly. I drove down the middle to keep from looking over the edge in May 1979.
I was in a field job located in Ranielle and watched the bridge built beginning to end. The opening ceremony was indeed an impressive event!
I grew up going to this bridge every year on bridge day until 2001 when 9/11 happened. Those days are still some of the highlights of my childhood when I crossed that Bridge
Maybe one day you'll get to go to Bridge Day again! 🙏🏻 Third weekend of October, *third Saturday in October
I worked on the bridge in 1976 on the Fayetteville side. I took a plane ride with a old guy. 5 dollars. It’s was the Indians from Ny hung the iron. Ride the beam down and connected them. No harness no bs. No place to stay. Indians all camped in tents up in a hollow. I did by our concrete plant closet to town rough work rough men. Old school men.
Grandfather lived near Summersville on RT 39. We'd take the short ride south down from Hico on RT 19 to the overlook about every other time we visited, so I watched this being built.
I remember watching it being built.
Love this drive. You must see this.
Another reason to be West Virginia proud
Almost heaven
That is one beautiful steel arch bridge that literally enhanced the rugged New River gorge.
I remember everyday , since it was built right behind my grandpa s house .
We hung out on the the cat walk, more times than I could count . All work trucks past my grandpa s. They ran over my new puppy , full blooded collie .
Never forget !
Seems like jesus could have helped him out
?
You know there's always one person that's got to hate God right are you one of them you hate Jesus too@@georgeadams5390
One of the best eng feat in its day
Ok. Need to ask all a question. What is the size of the WV -NM -Bridges. ?? I know no one talks about the On in NM. But it’s a big one too.
I wonder if old senator Byrd had a lot to do with getting funding to construct it. Hell he had been in the senate for decades !
ALONG WITH MY YOUNG FAMILY WE WATCHED AS THE BRIDGE GREW FROM NOTHING. WE MADE THAT 100 MI. TRIP FROM PARKERSBURG TO WATCH IT GROW. MANY MANY YEARS HAVE GONE, MANY TIMES I HAVE VISITED THE BRIDGE, MY LAST VISIT AT THE AGE OF EIGHTY FOUND ME ON A NARROW CATWALK, I WAS ACTUALLY WALKING ACROSS THAT BEAUTIFUL GORGE ! A LIFE EXPERIENCE I RECOMMEND TO ANYONE WHO HAS THE NERVE ! HAAA ! GO TRY IT ! YOU WILL LIKE IT !
Is the vintage footage from a particular documentary? If it can still be located I would love to see it in its entirety.
my grandpa took many pictures of the building process. long passed, not sure who has them now.
My family has many connections to this bridge..Billy Van, you took us on an outing there to show us and carried your little girl on your shoulders. I always think of you honey, a Fayette County deputy.
Doug Maddy visited our lions club in Mount Hope back in the 1980s.
Sounds like Johnny Carson narrating.
Sounds like it could be John Camran Swazy too.
@@gama45 I am near certain it's Paul Long, the legendary Pittsburgh news anchor.
All you had to do is drive down chimney corner and come straight into Fayetteville. I know it's good that the bridge is there but to go north yeah all you had to do is go down towards back with go through Montgomery ever golly mountain and you were right there in Charleston going north hitting 77 and i-79. Lived here my whole life
Yeah, all you had to do was take a curvy, hilly, dangerous, circuitous hour long drive out of your way instead of just driving 40 seconds across a bridge.
@Commentleaver-c6x that's not what I was saying there was a way to get to where you needed to go before they built the bridge I know they built the bridge and drove their trucks right by my grandfather's house every day while they were building it and if we needed to go to Charleston we'd go over the mountain .
And yes this is West Virginia every place you go is a mountain. That wasn't the only way to go before the New River gorge bridge was it wasn't the only way you're talking about fayette station road that's what you're talking about. That was not the only way to get from one side to the other. I mean have you even lived here.
@@no_321 no matter which way you went it was much, much longer and more dangerous than driving across the bridge.
@@Commentleaver-c6x you made a comment that that was the only way it was across the River gorge bridge I was commenting know that wasn't the only way to get anywhere. Yes fat station road is one of the most dangerous roads but going over valley mountain is not that bad I traveled it for over 18 years is a traveling nurse it's not that bad you just have to learn how to drive on these mountain roads. It was no disregard to what you said I just was trying to tell you that was not the only way from across the river you go down to chimney corner you make a left you come in the Fayetteville you make a right you're headed towards Charleston. That's all I was trying to say Fayette station road was not the only wait until the bridge was built it was not that's all I was saying
@ gotcha, obviously the bridge was built to carry the north/south traffic across the gorge on Rt 19, it wasn’t built for making it easier for people who live nearby to go in any particular direction. That’s all I was saying.
Put up by American Bridge, the God's of Ironworking.
I was a field engineer at American Bridge for several years, the New River Bridge was a few years ahead of my time. I worked on several impressive project but none come close to New River. We had a pride and confidence in our abilities rarely seen before or after.
@@danamuchesko9739
I was an ironworker in the 90's and into the 2000's, my local was Scranton Pa but I did a lot of work out of local 3 in Pittsburgh and all the old timers like the guy's who put up the US Steel Building among others always used to talk about working for AB back when US Steel owned them during their glory days, and I did a job down in West Virginia once that a guy I was connecting with told me his dad was on the New River Gorge Bridge job, there's some pretty good pictures of it being built on Pinterest, must have been quite a job to have been on.
*Someone forgot to bring me my Hotdogs and Popcorn and boy does that make me mad*
If you want to see a real engineering marvel then visit the biltmore estate in Asheville North Carolina
ncavlleguy It is Beautiful! ! Words cant describe! !
That's a historical mansion which should not be compared to this marvelous tool of traveling
Is that Johnny Carson doing the narration? It sure sounds like him.
No, that’s a typical 1970’s narrator. He’s a failed NFL Films narrator.
@@rdbjrseattle Could it be John Camron Swazy?
Gary Sumner JCS had a much more authoritative voice. A twangy Midwest accent.
@@rdbjrseattle It took me a few minutes to figure it out, but it's the late Paul Long, legendary Pittsburgh news anchor.
Hey fellow Horace Mann 8th graders!
pokepok3 NIC STFU
pokepok3 seriously bruh
pokepok3 MEOW
Yolo
Hey flam
You don’t just build a big bridge.
Well technically it’s not true but it’s a lot of fun too remember you have to comeback too it
What’s not true?
End of 47
What a stupid question this is usually why a bridge is made is to make getting somewhere better and quicker just like when they lay down a new stretch of highway