Why U.S. 19 Once Had to Drop to the Bottom of New River Gorge

Why U.S. 19 Once Had to Drop to the Bottom of New River Gorge Before the New River Gorge Bridge opened in 1977, crossing this part of West Virginia worked very differently. Traffic had to descend from the rim of New River Gorge, follow the narrow curves of Fayette Station Road to river level, cross the New River, and climb back out on the opposite side. The trip could take 30 to 45 minutes. Then a 3,030-foot steel arch bridge changed the geography of the route. Instead of following the road down into the gorge, U.S. 19 could stay high above it and cross the river in less than a minute. But the old road never disappeared. Today, Fayette Station Road still winds to the bottom of the gorge, passing beneath the bridge that made its original transportation role unnecessary. Its sharp curves, river-level crossing, and unusual alignment preserve an older way of moving through the landscape. This is the story of why the road went down there in the first place, why that eventually stopped making sense, and how one bridge changed where the route needed to be. 00:00 Before the New River Gorge Bridge 00:42 Why the Old Road Went Down 01:22 The Crossing at Fayette Station 02:12 Eight Miles of Switchbacks 03:05 Why the Old Route Stopped Working 03:52 Bringing the Bridge Up to the Highway 04:42 Building the New River Gorge Bridge 05:53 The 1977 Opening 06:35 How the Bridge Changed Travel 07:22 What Happened to Fayette Station Road 08:10 Two Ways Across the Same Gorge #NewRiverGorge #HighwayHistory #Infrastructure