Gephyrophobia is the anxiety disorder or specific phobia characterized by the fear of bridges. As a result, sufferers of gephyrophobia may avoid routes that will take them over bridges.
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Some possible explanations of gephyrophobia may be the fear of the structural integrity of the bridges itself, or the fear that the bridge will collapse if they try to cross it.
Dr. Michael Liebowitz, founder of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, says, "It's not an isolated phobia, but usually part of a larger constellation ... It's people who get panic attacks. You get light-headed, dizzy; your heart races. You become afraid that you'll feel trapped."
The New York State Thruway Authority will lead gephyrophobiacs over the Tappan Zee Bridge. A driver can call the authority in advance and arrange for someone to drive the car over the bridge for them. The authority performs the service about six times a year.
The Maryland Transportation Authority offers a similar service for crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
The Mackinac Bridge Authority, which oversees the Mackinac Bridge, which connects Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas, will drive one's car across its span for any needy gephyrophobiacs. Some thousand drivers take advantage of this free program each year.
The term gephyrophobia comes from Greek γέφυρα (gephura) meaning "bridge" and φόβος (phobos) "fear".
Other uses
Gephyrophobia is the name of a map in the video game Halo: Combat Evolved; the two bases are connected only by a bridge flanked by snipers' outposts. The name most likely comes from the fact that the players are frequently killed on the bridge.
In media
Gephyrophobia is the main plot in the "The Bridge" episode of The Middle. The character Brick is plagued by the phobia.
This term is referenced in the 2012 book "The Silver Bridge Disaster of 1967," an account of the collapse Dec. 15, 1967, of the US 35 highway bridge connecting Point Pleasant, WV and Gallipolis OH over the Ohio River.