Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

The 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 : two approach spans with a main center span. ==Awards==

In 1966, the American Institute of Steel Construction awarded the bridge "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge" in the "Long Span" category. ==Restoration==

A $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 problem==

The bridge has been the site of numerous suicides. Authorities are studying ways to deter suicides, including the construction of suicide barriers, such as higher fencing, netting, or more security, and also hotline buttons, but cite money as a major reason no steps have been taken. ==Bridge height discrepancy==

Although one of the highest bridges in the United States, exactly how high the main span is above ground is unclear. When it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1967, this distance was cited as over the Rio Grande. Today, that number is still widely used. However, in 2010, the Highest Bridges Web Site came out with a substantially lower () figure. Wikipedia used this figure in 2012 when updating its List of bridges in the United States by height, but kept the figure for the bridge in its Rio Grande del Norte National Monument article. In 2015, a height of appeared on the scene. An author of a bridge book noted this discrepancy and recommended this compromise number be used until the matter was authoritatively resolved. This height figure then cropped up in a January 2016 Materials Performance Magazine white paper about the bridge's then just completed inspection by the New Mexico Department of Transportation. ==In popular culture==

The bridge has appeared in several films, including Natural Born Killers, Twins, White Sands, ''She's Having a Baby, The Signal, Paul, Vacation, Wild Hogs, and Terminator Salvation''. ==Gallery==

File:Rio Grande Gorge bridge, 1970.jpg| File:Rio Grande Gorge Bridge Plaques.jpg| File:Rio grande gorge rainbow.JPG| File:Crisis hotline communication pillar at Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.jpg| File:Rio Grande Gorge 2.jpg|View from bridge, 2017 File:2021 Rio Grande Gorge near Taos, New Mexico.jpg|2021 panorama view Image:RioGrandGorge.jpg|View of the Rio Grande Gorge near Taos, New Mexico ==See also==