If you don't stop and look, the bridge over the Rio Grande on US 64 west of Taos doesn't look like much. But stop and look down. Way down. More than 600 feet. The bridge goes over part of the Rio Grande Gorge, a geologic rift that's a major feature of the landscape in this part of New Mexico. The gorge is as deep as 800 feet below the surrounding areas farther north of this location. Unlike most gorges that have been cut by rivers, here the river followed the rift.
The bridge wasn't even built until 1965, at which time US 64 was rerouted away from Española, the nearest crossing to the south. The main route between Española and Taos is now New Mexico state route 68.
The American Institute of Steel Construction gave the structure the Most Beautiful Steel Bridge award in 1966.
