Royal Gorge Bridge, highest bridge in the United States

This is a list of the highest bridges in the United States by height over land or water. Height in this list refers to the distance from the bridge deck to the lowest point on the land, or the water surface, directly below. A bridge's deck height is greater than its clearance below, which is measured from the bottom of the deck structure, with the difference being equal to the thickness of the deck structure at the point with the greatest clearance below. Official figures for a bridge's height are often provided only for the clearance below, so those figures may be used instead of actual deck height measurements. For bridges that span tidal water, the clearance below is measured at the average high water level.

The minimum height for inclusion in this list is 130 ft (40 m), which may be either the deck height or the clearance below depending on available references. Note that the following types of bridges are not included in this list: demolished high bridges; historic high bridges such as those over reservoirs—regardless of current reservoir levels—that were filled after the bridge was complete, unless the dam has since been removed; and vertical-lift bridges, even those with raised span heights greater than this list's minimum height.

The clearance below required under bridges for the largest ships—container ships, ocean liners and cruise ships—is around 220 feet (67 m) so there are often bridges with approximately that height located in coastal cities with bays or inlets, such as New York City's Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.[1]

List of bridges

Height Name Spans Completed State(s)
955 ft (291.1 m) Royal Gorge Bridge Arkansas River 1929 Colorado
900 ft (274.3 m) Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge Colorado River 2010 Arizona / Nevada
876 ft (267.0 m) New River Gorge Bridge New River 1977 West Virginia
730 ft (222.5 m) Foresthill Bridge American River 1973 California
700 ft (213.4 m) Glen Canyon Dam Bridge Colorado River 1959 Arizona
Phil G. McDonald Bridge (Glade Creek Bridge) Glade Creek 1988 West Virginia
565 ft (172.2 m) Rio Grande Gorge Bridge Rio Grande 1965 New Mexico
486 ft (148.1 m) Perrine Bridge Snake River 1976 Idaho
470 ft (143.3 m) Navajo Bridge (dual spans; the 1929 span is 467 ft high) Colorado River 1929 / 1995 Arizona
464 ft (141.4 m) Moyie River Canyon Bridge Moyie River 1965 Idaho
450 ft (137.2 m) Pine Valley Creek Bridge Pine Valley Creek 1974 California
400 ft (121.9 m) Cold Spring Canyon Arch Bridge Cold Spring Canyon 1964 California
388 ft (118.3 m) Burro Creek Bridge (dual spans)[2][3][4][note 1] Burro Creek 1966 / 2005 Arizona
375 ft (114.3 m) High Steel Bridge Skokomish River 1929 Washington
370 ft (112.8 m) Hoffstadt Creek Bridge[5][6] Hoffstadt Creek 1994 Washington
Lewiston–Queenston Bridge Niagara River 1962 New York / Ontario (Canada)
350 ft (106.7 m) Hansen Bridge Snake River 1966 Idaho
347 ft (105.8 m) Vance Creek Bridge Vance Creek 1929 Washington
345 ft (105.2 m) Thomas Creek Bridge Thomas Creek 1961 Oregon
325 ft (99.1 m) Fred G. Redmon Bridge Selah Creek 1971 Washington
320 ft (97.5 m) Crooked River Railroad Bridge Crooked River 1911 Oregon
300 ft (91.4 m) Rex T. Barber Veterans Memorial Bridge Crooked River 2000 Oregon
Veterans Memorial Centennial Bridge Bennett Bay 1991 Idaho
296 ft (90.2 m) Hurricane Gulch Bridge Hurricane Gulch 1921 Alaska
295 ft (89.9 m) Crooked River High Bridge Crooked River 1926 Oregon
Galena Creek Bridge Galena Creek 2012 Nevada
285 ft (86.9 m) Sunlight Creek Bridge[7] Sunlight Creek 1985 Wyoming
283 ft (86.3 m) Young's High Bridge Kentucky River 1889 Kentucky
275 ft (83.8 m) High Bridge of Kentucky Kentucky River 1877 Kentucky
Pecos River High Bridge Pecos River 1944 Texas
273 ft (83.2 m) Pecos River Highway Bridge[8] Pecos River 1957 Texas
270 ft (82.3 m) Emlenton Bridge Allegheny River 1968 Pennsylvania
265 ft (80.8 m) U.S. Route 460 Connector Bridge[9][10] Grassy Creek 2016 Kentucky / Virginia
260 ft (79.2 m) Bixby Creek Bridge Bixby Creek 1932 California
255 ft (77.7 m) Confusion Hill Bridges (south span) South Fork Eel River 2009 California
250 ft (76.2 m) Fairfax Bridge Carbon River 1921 Washington
Mingo Creek Viaduct Mingo Creek 2002 Pennsylvania
245 ft (74.7 m) Clays Ferry Bridge[11] Kentucky River 1946 / 1963 / 1998 Kentucky
240 ft (73.2 m) Genesee Arch Bridge Genesee River 2017 New York
George Westinghouse Bridge Turtle Creek 1932 Pennsylvania
239 ft (72.8 m) Jeremiah Morrow Bridge Little Miami River 2016 Ohio
238 ft (72.5 m) Kuskulana River Bridge[12] Kuskulana River 1910 Alaska
228 ft (69.5 m) Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge The Narrows 1964 New York
225 ft (68.6 m) Peter Guice Memorial Bridge Green River 1972 North Carolina
Whirlpool Rapids Bridge Niagara River 1897 New York / Ontario (Canada)
220 ft (67.1 m) Golden Gate Bridge Golden Gate 1937 California
Laurel Creek Gorge Bridge Laurel Creek 2002 North Carolina
San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge (western span) San Francisco Bay 1936 California
215 ft (65.5 m) Bayonne Bridge Kill Van Kull 1931 New York / New Jersey
212 ft (64.6 m) George Washington Bridge Hudson River 1931 New York / New Jersey
Valley View Bridge Cuyahoga Valley 1977 Ohio
Walkway over the Hudson Hudson River 1889 New York
210 ft (64.0 m) Lewis and Clark Bridge Columbia River 1930 Oregon / Washington
206 ft (62.8 m) Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge Narragansett Bay 1969 Rhode Island
205 ft (62.5 m) Long Beach International Gateway Bridge Back Channel, Port of Long Beach 2020 California
St. Johns Bridge Willamette River 1931 Oregon
204 ft (62.2 m) Thomas Rukavina Memorial Bridge[13][14][15] Rouchleau Mine Pit 2017 Minnesota
203 ft (61.9 m) Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge Fox River 1981 Wisconsin
202 ft (61.6 m) Rainbow Bridge Niagara River 1941 New York / Ontario (Canada)
200 ft (61.0 m) Hite Crossing Bridge Colorado River 1966 Utah
Mackinac Bridge Straits of Mackinac 1957 Michigan
Mon–Fayette Expressway Bridge Monongahela River 2013 Pennsylvania
Red Cliff Bridge Eagle River 1940 Colorado
San Diego–Coronado Bridge San Diego Bay 1969 California
Tacoma Narrows Bridge (dual spans) Tacoma Narrows 1950 / 2007 Washington
196 ft (59.7 m) Astoria–Megler Bridge Columbia River 1966 Oregon / Washington
192 ft (58.5 m) Commodore Barry Bridge Delaware River 1974 Pennsylvania / New Jersey
191 ft (58.2 m) San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge (eastern span) San Francisco Bay 2013 California
190 ft (57.9 m) Hawk Falls Bridge[16] Mud Run 1957 Pennsylvania
Union Pacific Kate Shelley Bridge Des Moines River 2009 Iowa
186 ft (56.7 m) Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge Cooper River 2005 South Carolina
Chesapeake Bay Bridge (dual spans) Chesapeake Bay 1952 / 1973 Maryland
Goat Canyon Trestle Goat Canyon 1933 California
185 ft (56.4 m) Francis Scott Key Bridge Patapsco River 1977 Maryland
Kate Shelley High Bridge (Boone Viaduct) Des Moines River 1901 Iowa
Richmond–San Rafael Bridge San Francisco Bay 1956 California
Sidney Lanier Bridge Brunswick River 2003 Georgia
Talmadge Memorial Bridge Savannah River 1991 Georgia
Vincent Thomas Bridge Los Angeles Harbor 1963 California
184 ft (56.1 m) Soo Line High Bridge St. Croix River 1911 Minnesota / Wisconsin
182 ft (55.5 m) Ship Canal Bridge Lake Washington Ship Canal 1961 Washington
181 ft (55.2 m) Sunshine Skyway Bridge Tampa Bay 1987 Florida
180 ft (54.9 m) Deception Pass Bridge Puget Sound 1935 Washington
178 ft (54.3 m) Fred Hartman Bridge Houston Ship Channel 1995 Texas
177 ft (53.9 m) Rainbow Bridge Neches River 1936 Texas
175 ft (53.3 m) Dames Point Bridge St. Johns River 1989 Florida
Fremont Bridge Willamette River 1973 Oregon
Horace Wilkinson Bridge Mississippi River 1968 Louisiana
Sam Houston Ship Channel Bridge Houston Ship Channel 1982 Texas
Wilson Creek Bridge Wilson Creek 2001 Virginia
174 ft (53.0 m) Delaware Memorial Bridge (dual spans) Delaware River 1951 / 1968 Delaware / New Jersey
172 ft (52.4 m) Clio Trestle Willow Creek 1909 California
170 ft (51.8 m) Beaver River Bridge Beaver River 1952 Pennsylvania
Crescent City Connection (dual spans) Mississippi River 1958 / 1988 Louisiana
E. H. Swindell Bridge East Street Valley 1930 Pennsylvania
Sunshine Bridge Mississippi River 1964 Louisiana
Wissahickon Memorial Bridge Wissahickon Creek 1932 Pennsylvania
167 ft (50.9 m)

Aurora Bridge

Lake Union 1932 Washington
166 ft (50.6 m) Massachusetts Turnpike's Westfield River Bridge[17] Westfield River 1957 Massachusetts
165 ft (50.3 m) Veterans Memorial Bridge Mississippi River 1995 Louisiana
163 ft (49.7 m) Quechee Gorge Bridge Ottauquechee River 1911 Vermont
162 ft (49.4 m) Hi-Line Railroad Bridge Sheyenne River 1908 North Dakota
160 ft (48.8 m) High Bridge Mississippi River 1987 Minnesota
158 ft (48.2 m) Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge Mississippi River 1983 Louisiana
157 ft (47.9 m) Tulip Trestle Richland Creek 1906 Indiana
155 ft (47.2 m) Bear Mountain Bridge Hudson River 1924 New York
Blue Water Bridge (dual spans) St. Clair River 1938 / 1997 Michigan / Ontario (Canada)
Gerald Desmond Bridge Back Channel, Port of Long Beach 1968 California
Green River Gorge Bridge[18] Green River 1915 Washington
153 ft (46.6 m) Huey P. Long Bridge (Jefferson Parish) Mississippi River 1935 Louisiana
Walt Whitman Bridge Delaware River 1957 Pennsylvania / New Jersey
152 ft (46.3 m) Ambassador Bridge Detroit River 1929 Michigan / Ontario (Canada)
Kingston–Rhinecliff Bridge Hudson River 1957 New York
Mathews Bridge St. Johns River 1953 Florida
150 ft (45.7 m) Conde McCullough Memorial Bridge Coos Bay 1936 Oregon
John E. Fitzgerald Bridge (Clarks Summit Bridge)[19][20][21] U.S. Routes 6 and 11 1955 Pennsylvania
Paul Bryant Bridge Black Warrior River 2004 Alabama
Rosendale Trestle Rondout Creek 1872 New York
Thousand Islands Bridge Saint Lawrence River 1937 New York / Ontario (Canada)
Varina-Enon Bridge James River 1990 Virginia
148 ft (45.1 m) Carquinez Bridge (dual spans) Carquinez Strait 1958 / 2003 California
147 ft (44.8 m) Cut River Bridge Cut River 1947 Michigan
Walnut Lane Bridge Wissahickon Creek 1908 Pennsylvania
145 ft (44.2 m) Jordan Bridge Southern Branch Elizabeth River 2012 Virginia
Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge State Route 96 1994 Tennessee
Rip Van Winkle Bridge Hudson River 1935 New York
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge[22] James River 2002 Virginia
144 ft (43.9 m) Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge Columbia River 1982 Oregon / Washington
143 ft (43.6 m) Henry Hudson Bridge Spuyten Duyvil Creek 1936 New York
Outerbridge Crossing Arthur Kill 1928 New York / New Jersey
Triborough Bridge (Robert F. Kennedy Bridge) East River 1936 New York
142 ft (43.3 m) Throgs Neck Bridge East River 1961 New York
141 ft (43.0 m) Hart Bridge St. Johns River 1967 Florida
140 ft (42.7 m) Bridge of the Gods Columbia River 1926 Oregon / Washington
Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge Mobile River 1991 Alabama
Confusion Hill Bridges (north span) South Fork Eel River 2008 California
Goethals Bridge Arthur Kill 1928 New York / New Jersey
Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge Patuxent River 1977 Maryland
High Bridge (Aqueduct Bridge) Harlem River 1848 / 1927 New York
Israel LaFleur Bridge Calcasieu River 1962 Louisiana
West Seattle Bridge Duwamish Waterway 1984 Washington
139 ft (42.4 m) New Tappan Zee Bridge (Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge) Hudson River 2017 New York
138 ft (42.1 m) Albertus L. Meyers Bridge Little Lehigh Creek 1913 Pennsylvania
Benicia–Martinez Bridge (dual spans) Carquinez Strait 1962 / 2007 California
Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge Port of Corpus Christi 1959 Texas
Tappan Zee Bridge Hudson River 1955 New York
137 ft (41.8 m) Cascade Creek Trestle[23][24] Cascade Creek 1889 Colorado
U.S. Route 20 Iowa River Bridge[25][26] Iowa River 2003 Iowa
136 ft (41.5 m) Monroe Street Bridge Spokane River 1911 Washington
135 ft (41.1 m) Antioch Bridge San Joaquin River 1978 California
Benjamin Franklin Bridge Delaware River 1926 Pennsylvania / New Jersey
Betsy Ross Bridge Delaware River 1976 Pennsylvania / New Jersey
Bourne Bridge, Sagamore Bridge Cape Cod Canal 1935 Massachusetts
Bronx–Whitestone Bridge East River 1939 New York
Brooklyn Bridge East River 1883 New York
Calcasieu River Bridge Calcasieu River 1952 Louisiana
Castleton Bridge Hudson River 1959 New York
Charles M. Braga Jr. Memorial Bridge Taunton River 1965 Massachusetts
Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge Delaware River 1956 Pennsylvania / New Jersey
Girard Point Bridge[27] Schuylkill River 1985 Pennsylvania
Gold Star Memorial Bridge (dual spans) Thames River 1943 / 1973 Connecticut
Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge Potomac River 1940 Maryland / Virginia
Hell Gate Bridge East River 1916 New York
Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge Narragansett Bay 1992 Rhode Island
Manhattan Bridge East River 1909 New York
Mid-Hudson Bridge Hudson River 1930 New York
Mount Hope Bridge Mount Hope Bay 1929 Rhode Island
Newburgh–Beacon Bridge (dual spans) Hudson River 1963 / 1980 New York
Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory Penobscot River 2006 Maine
Piscataqua River Bridge Piscataqua River 1972 Maine / New Hampshire
San Mateo–Hayward Bridge San Francisco Bay 1967 California
Sidney Sherman Bridge Houston Ship Channel 1973 Texas
Tobin Bridge Mystic River 1950 Massachusetts
Williamsburg Bridge East River 1903 New York
134 ft (40.8 m) All-America Bridge Little Cuyahoga River 1982 Ohio
Washington Bridge Harlem River 1888 New York
132 ft (40.2 m) Henderson County Bridge[28][29] Green River 1927 North Carolina
130 ft (39.6 m) Queensboro Bridge (59th Street Bridge) East River 1909 New York

Gallery

The ten highest bridges in the United States:

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The americanbridge.net reference for Burro Creek Bridge provides a vertical clearance figure of 370 ft (113 m) which is 18 ft (5 m) lower than the deck heights for the two spans of this bridge as provided by highestbridges.com, the difference being due to the deck truss height.

References

  1. ^ Sharp, John (August 10, 2014). "I-10 Bridge height to accommodate cruise ships, but what if they never come?". al.com. Alabama Media Group. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  2. ^ Sakowski, Eric (December 5, 2010). "Burro Creek 1966 Bridge". highestbridges.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  3. ^ Sakowski, Eric (December 5, 2010). "Burro Creek 2005 Bridge". highestbridges.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  4. ^ "Burro Creek Bridge, Completion Date: March 01, 1966". americanbridge.net. n.d. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  5. ^ Janberg, Nicolas (February 5, 2016). "Hoffstadt Creek Bridge". structurae.net. Archived from the original on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  6. ^ Sakowski, Eric (December 10, 2009). "Hoffstadt Creek Bridge". highestbridges.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  7. ^ Sakowski, Eric (March 13, 2012). "United States Bridges 90 to 100 meters". highestbridges.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  8. ^ "Pecos River Highway Bridge".
  9. ^ Robinson Gibson, Allie (February 15, 2014). "460 Connector, CFX construction projects moving forward in SWVa". Bristol Herald-Courier. Bristol, VA. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  10. ^ "Corridor Q: Route 460 Connector - Phase I". Virginia Department of Transportation. February 24, 2016. Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  11. ^ "Evaluation of Condition-Responsive Work Zone Traffic Controls at the I-75 Clays Ferry Bridge". uknowledge.uky.edu. University of Kentucky. June 1998. p. 1. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  12. ^ "Wrangell-St Elias National Park & Preserve: McCarthy Road Guide". nps.gov. National Park Service. n.d. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  13. ^ "Highway 53 Bridge Dedicated to Late State Rep. Tom Rukavina". Fox21Online. 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  14. ^ "Iron Range celebrates tallest bridge in state". Twin Cities. 2017-09-17. Retrieved 2017-10-10.
  15. ^ "Tallest bridge in Minnesota is dedicated. You can drive over it really soon". Twin Cities. 2017-09-17. Archived from the original on 2017-09-17. Retrieved 2017-10-10.
  16. ^ Liebler, Kathy; Agnello, Joe (May 18, 1999). "New Mon/Fayette construction contract includes what will be the highest bridges on Pennsylvania Turnpike system". paturnpike.com. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Archived from the original on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  17. ^ Massachusetts Department of Transportation [@MassDOT] (29 May 2018). "District Highway in Lenox reports bridge design plans list approximately 166' from the road to the low water level in the river" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. ^ "Bridge over the river Green – Black Diamond History". blackdiamondhistory.wordpress.com. 7 April 2010. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  19. ^ Lieberman, William (n.d.). "Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission; Retention of an Engineering or Construction Management Firm ... Reference No. – 5-087 [old name ref]" (PDF). paturnpike.com. Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  20. ^ "The General Assembly of Pennsylvania; House Bill No. 1779; Session of 2009 [new name ref]". legis.state.pa.us. Pennsylvania General Assembly. June 24, 2009. Archived from the original on October 28, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  21. ^ "Benesch Transportation Projects [height ref: see 5th photo by scrolling down photo gallery, click on Clarks Summit Bridge photo, caption states height as 150 feet]". benesch.com. Alfred Benesch & Company. n.d. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  22. ^ "Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge Design". modjeski.com. Modjeski and Masters. n.d. Archived from the original on November 11, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  23. ^ Turner, Jack (n.d.). "Rocky Mountain Exploration Part 3: Cumbres & Toltec Railroad". trainweb.org. TrainWeb LLC. Archived from the original on June 26, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  24. ^ "Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad: Scenery Departing Chama, New Mexico". cumbrestoltec.com. Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. n.d. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  25. ^ "The US 20 bridge over the Iowa River is a major transportation improvement and a distinctive feat of modern engineering". iowadot.gov. Iowa Department of Transportation. 2003. Archived from the original on May 23, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  26. ^ "Project overview: The bridge". iowadot.gov. Iowa Department of Transportation. 2003. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  27. ^ Janberg, Nicolas (February 5, 2016). "Girard Point Bridge". structurae.net. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  28. ^ "Henderson County Bridge 120 (High or Green River Bridge)". ncdot.gov. North Carolina Department of Transportation. July 11, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  29. ^ "High Bridge, Henderson County, North Carolina". bridgehunter.com. James Baughn. n.d. Retrieved November 7, 2018.

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