Bridges Feared Most By Cyclists in the United States

Study Reveals America’s Most Nerve-Racking Bridges for Cyclists.

For many commuters, cycling offers what driving rarely can: fresh air, freedom, exercise, and the satisfaction of starting the day under your own steam.

But bike commuting also comes with hazards, from distracted drivers and narrow lanes to poor road surfaces, bad weather, and awkward junctions. Bridges can be especially intimidating—exposed to wind, squeezed by traffic, and often short on safe space. For cyclists, the commute can be liberating, but it also demands confidence, caution, and nerve. 

To find out which crossings make cyclists grip the handlebars a little tighter, California-based injury lawyers Bisnar Chase commissioned a survey via Cherry Data Signals of 3,057 cyclists, asking them to rank the bridges they fear most. 

The top 10 were as follows: 

#1. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco/Marin County, California

The Golden Gate Bridge may be one of the most iconic bike crossings in the world, but iconic does not always mean relaxing. Riders can face wind, noise, tourists, fast cyclists, narrow-feeling paths, and the psychological weight of being suspended high above the bay. Even when the views are spectacular, the experience can feel busy and exposed, especially for less confident cyclists trying to hold a line while everyone else is sightseeing, overtaking, stopping, or wobbling around them.

#2. Queensboro Bridge, Manhattan/Queens, New York

The Queensboro Bridge has long had a reputation as one of New York’s most congested bike crossings. The city moved to separate pedestrians and cyclists on the bridge in 2025, after years of conflict on the busy shared route, but the crossing still carries that dense urban energy. For riders, the stress comes from the climb, the noise, the approaches, the rapid commuter flow, and the feeling of being funneled between boroughs on a bridge that never seems as roomy as cyclists would like. 

#3. Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, near Taos, New Mexico

The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is breathtaking in a way that can unsettle even confident riders. It stands around 600 feet above the Rio Grande and is described as the second-highest bridge on the U.S. Highway System. From a bicycle, the appeal and the fear are almost the same thing: huge sky, high desert wind, steel underfoot, and the gorge opening far below. Even if the road itself looks straightforward, the vertical drama makes this one of New Mexico’s most nerve-testing crossings. 

#4. George Washington Bridge, Fort Lee/Manhattan, New Jersey

The George Washington Bridge is one of the great cycling gateways into New York, but it can still feel like a serious undertaking. The bridge has dedicated pedestrian and bicycle access, and the Port Authority asks cyclists to ride slowly and yield to pedestrians, which hints at the mix of traffic, people, height, and tight shared space involved. For riders, the dread factor is not just the Hudson River below; it is the sheer scale of the crossing, the wind, the ramps, and the feeling of pedaling beside one of the busiest bridge environments in America. 

#5. Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami/Key Biscayne, Florida

The Rickenbacker Causeway is one of South Florida’s most recognizable cycling routes, but it also carries a heavy reputation. The bridges and causeway link Miami with Virginia Key and Key Biscayne, placing cyclists alongside swift traffic, beach-bound drivers, and long open stretches over Biscayne Bay. Serious crashes involving cyclists have kept safety concerns in the public eye, which gives the crossing an uneasy edge even for riders who know the route well. 

#6. Hurricane Gulch Bridge, Parks Highway, Alaska

The highway bridge near Hurricane Gulch carries the Parks Highway across a deep gorge, with mountain scenery all around and a serious drop below. It is the sort of place that looks spectacular from a car window but could feel brutally exposed on a bicycle, especially with fast-moving highway traffic and little sense of shelter. Beautiful? Absolutely. Relaxing to pedal across? Probably not for everyone. 

#7. Conowingo Dam / US 1 Crossing, Susquehanna River, Maryland

The US 1 crossing at Conowingo Dam has a much more rugged, road-first feel than a scenic bike bridge. Maryland transportation guidance specifically mentions US 1 over the Conowingo Dam as a crossing where lane sharing is permitted, which says a lot about the experience: cyclists are not separated onto a calm path but are expected to negotiate the roadway alongside traffic. Bicyclists are also not permitted on the bridge during lane closures, and Maryland avoids scheduling Sunday lane closures in part to preserve bicycle access — a detail that quietly reflects how narrow and sensitive the crossing environment can become when roadway space is reduced. With dam infrastructure, river exposure, traffic, and limited comfort margins, it has the kind of utilitarian crossing energy that makes riders think twice before committing. 

#8. Astoria–Megler Bridge, Astoria, Oregon

The Astoria–Megler Bridge is one of the most unnerving bicycle crossings in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon transportation documents describe it as a key barrier for people biking south from Washington, with narrow two-foot shoulders, around 4-mile length, 196 feet (60 m) at high tide of elevation gain, and no alternate route. From a cyclist’s point of view, that is almost the full dread checklist: long, windy, exposed, high above the Columbia River, and shared with fast-moving traffic for far longer than most riders would like.

#9. Jekyll Island Causeway Bridges, near Brunswick, Georgia

Jekyll Island is wonderfully bikeable once you are on the island, with miles of paved trails and a laid-back coastal feel. Getting there by road, however, has a different mood. The causeway bridges carry visitors across the marshes from the mainland, where cyclists can feel more exposed to wind, traffic, and vehicles eager to reach the beach. That contrast is what gives the crossing its edge: paradise on one side, but a practical, open-road approach before you get there. 

#10. Wheeling Suspension Bridge, Wheeling, West Virginia

The Wheeling Suspension Bridge feels like history under your wheels. The bridge is now closed to motor vehicles but remains open to pedestrians and bicyclists, giving riders a rare chance to cross the Ohio River on one of the country’s oldest large suspension bridges. That does not make it feel ordinary. The old deck, river wind, cables, and vintage structure give the crossing a slightly delicate, hold-your-line atmosphere—charming from a distance, but more nerve-testing once you are actually on it.

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The survey also found that 42% of cyclists have had a near-miss with a vehicle while cycling on or near a bridge. That finding helps explain why some riders treat bridges less like scenic shortcuts and more like stress tests. 

When asked which driver behavior feels most dangerous on bridges, cyclists again pointed to close contact. Passing too closely and driving too close to the bike lane or shoulder were the joint top concerns, both at 16%. Speeding followed closely at 15%, while 14% named distracted driving.

Cyclists also highlighted: 

•  Honking or aggressive driving: 12% 
•  Failing to yield when cyclists merge: 11% 
• Not giving cyclists time to clear the bridge: 11% 
• Tailgating: 6%  

There was, however, less agreement on who should bear the most responsibility for preventing accidents when bridges feel unsafe. The largest share, 32%, said all road users equally. Another 27% said drivers, while 15% pointed to city planners, 10% named local or state transportation agencies, and 3% said law enforcement.

The findings also suggest that unsafe bridges do not just make cyclists nervous in the moment — they can change where people are willing to go. 44% of cyclists said they have turned around or changed their route because a bridge felt too dangerous to cross by bicycle. Even more strikingly, 53% said unsafe-feeling bridges have stopped them from cycling to a neighborhood, town, workplace, beach, park, or trail. 

“From a personal injury perspective, bridges can create a uniquely risky environment for cyclists because the usual margin for error is often reduced”, says Brian Chase of Bisnar Chase. “When a rider is dealing with fast-moving vehicles, narrow shoulders, poor surfaces, wind exposure, or drivers passing too closely, a small mistake by a motorist can have very serious consequences. These findings are a reminder that cyclist safety is not just about individual caution — it is also about driver responsibility, safer road design, and making sure vulnerable road users are properly protected.”