The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, set against the Rio Grande Gorge and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, is the seventh highest bridge in the U.S. Its deck sits 650 feet above the river. Completed in 1965 under the leadership of Gov. Jack M. Campbell, it established an east-west shipping and transportation corridor in northern New Mexico and is the only major bridge crossing the Rio Grande for over 100 miles. Spanning 1,272 feet, this elegantly designed deck truss bridge is listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its exceptional importance in transportation and engineering.