Why do they have a Bridge Day & How was it started?
Bridge Day is a wonderful fall festival. In the beginning, Bridge Day was not planned as a yearly event. The first public event on the Bridge was the 1977 dedication ceremony organized by then-Governor Jay Rockefeller. This dedication gave the public a chance to walk out onto the historic super structure.
When was the first Bridge Day in WV?
November 8, 1980
The first Bridge Day was held on November 8, 1980. During the inaugural event, two people parachuted from a plane onto the bridge, and 5,500 people walked across it.
How many people have died on Bridge Day WV?
three deaths
There have been three deaths during Bridge Day due to accidents involving BASE jumpers. Bungee jumping off the New River Gorge Bridge was tried a couple of time during Bridge Day festivities (1993 and 1995). Injuries sustained during a mass bungee jump in 1995 prompted the banning of bungee jumping at Bridge Day.
What is the purpose of Bridge Day?
The event, held on the third Saturday every October, commemorates the 1977 completion of the New River Gorge Bridge. On this day, all four lanes of the bridge are closed to automobiles and opened to pedestrians. Estimates have 100,000 people attending the overall event.
How many people have died at New River Gorge Bridge?
There have been four known BASE-jumper fatalities at the bridge — one each in 1983, 1986, 1987, and 2006. The 1986 fatality was an illegal jump not associated with Bridge Day.
Is Bridge Day canceled?
Bridge Day canceled by the Commission. Voice vote appeared unanimous. A Fayette County Commission representative on the Bridge Day Commission voted to cancel the event Wednesday, but presented a letter claiming the BASE jumper representative had been misled and that nothing had changed since the commission last voted.
How many people were killed building the New River Gorge Bridge?
(Only one death occurred during construction—on the ground of the gorge’s sloping sides.
What can you do on Bridge Day?
Here’s what to make sure to fit into your perfect Bridge Day schedule:
- WOAY Taste of Bridge Day. Sample all of the New River Gorge’s finest flavors!
- BASE Jumping. Just as soon as the gates open, the leaping begins!
- Rappelling.
- Xpogo.
- Skydiving.
- Bridge Walk.
- Highlining.
- Vendors.
Is Bridge Day Cancelled?
How tall is the bridge at Bridge Day?
876 feet high
876 feet high. 70 feet wide. 88 million pounds of U.S. Cor-Ten steel and American cement. Opened and dedicated on October 22, 1977, the span has since become an iconic symbol of West Virginia.
