With the opening of the iconic New River Gorge Bridge on October 22, 1977, the challenge of getting across the 876 foot deep gorge was solved. The bridge dramatically decreased travel time. A 45 minute winding drive down and back up suddenly became a 45 second trip across the top. This gave the local communities easier access to work, shops, schools, and families across the river. The bridge is the longest steel arch span in the western hemisphere and today, the third highest bridge in the United States. The New River flows below it as one of the world's oldest rivers. The height of the bridge is 876 feet, high enough for the Statue of Liberty to stand underneath it twice atop the Washington Monument with 20 feet to spare.