Phil G McDonald Bridge
Phil G McDonald Bridge
Glade Creek Bridge
Beckley, West Virginia, United States
700 feet high / 213 meters high
784 foot span / 239 meter span
1988
Of North America’s 10 highest bridges, the Phil G McDonald or Glade Creek bridge is probably the least known. Located several miles east of Beckley, West Virginia, U.S.A., this huge deck truss has one of the tallest piers ever built on an American bridge, rising 350 feet (107 mtrs) from the foundation to the underside of the truss.
Coincidentally, Glade Creek is a near twin of California’s Auburn Foresthill bridge. From an engineering standpoint, the only major difference between the two is the West Virginia span is a continuous truss instead of a cantilever. The California span is only about 10 percent bigger in size and height. Much of Glade Creek’s status as a “hidden” high bridge is probably due to its being in the shadow of the world famous New River Gorge bridge located just 20 miles (32 km) to the north. Even so, at 700 feet (213 mtrs), Glade Creek is exactly 80 percent as high as the New River span. And although it does not have the same prestige as “The World’s Highest Arch Bridge”, Glade Creek still holds a record of its own as the “World’s Highest Truss Bridge”.
The thick foliage surrounding the structure makes it a difficult bridge to photograph. A graded dirt road on the west side of the bridge leads down into the ravine where you can hike along the creek and look up at the deck, 70 stories above.
Auburn-Foresthill Bridge Elevation
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
