Bridges

1. Akashi Kaikyō Bridge:

The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge is a suspension bridge, which links the city of Kobe on the Japanese mainland of Honshu to Iwaya on Awaji Island. It crosses the busy Akashi Strait as part of the Honshu–Shikoku Highway. It was completed in 1998, and has the longest central span of any suspension bridge in the world, at 1,991 metres. It is one of the key links of the Honshū–Shikoku Bridge Project, which created three routes across the Inland Sea. The bridge has three spans. The central span is 1,991 m, and the two other sections are each 960 m. The bridge is 3,911 m long overall. The two towers were originally 1,990 m apart, but the Great Hanshin earthquake on January 17, 1995, moved the towers so much that the span had to be increased by 1 m. More details

2. Millau Viaduct Bridge:

The Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the gorge valley of the Tarn near Millau in southern France. In a Franco-British partnership, it was designed by the English architect Lord Norman Foster and French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux. As of September 2018, it is the tallest bridge in the world, having a structural height of 343 metres (1,125 ft). The Millau Viaduct is part of the A75-A71 autoroute axis from Paris to Béziers and Montpellier. The cost of construction was approximately € 394 million. It was built over three years, formally inaugurated on 14 December 2004, and opened to traffic two days later on 16 December. More details

3. Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge:

The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge is a bridge for rail and motor vehicle transit over the Bosphorus strait, to the north of two existing suspension bridges in Istanbul, Turkey. It was initially named the Third Bosphorus Bridge (with Bosphorus Bridge being the First Bosphorus Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge the Second Bosphorus Bridge). It is about 5 km (3.1 mi) north of the Bosphorus Bridge. The bridge is located near the Black Sea entrance of the Bosphorus strait, between Garipçe in Sarıyer on the European side and Poyrazköy in Beykoz on the Asian side. The foundation stone laying ceremony was held on 29 May 2013. The bridge was opened to traffic on 26 August 2016. More details

4. Tsing Ma Bridge:

Tsing Ma Bridge is a bridge in Hong Kong. It is the world's 11th-longest span suspension bridge, and was the second longest at time of completion. The bridge was named after the two islands it connects, namely Tsing Yi and Ma Wan. It has two decks and carries both road and rail traffic, which also makes it the largest suspension bridge of this type. The bridge has a main span of 1,377 metres (4,518 ft) and a height of 206 metres (676 ft). The span is the longest of all bridges in the world carrying rail traffic. The 41-metre-wide (135 ft) bridge deck carries six lanes of automobile traffic, with three lanes in each direction. The lower level contains two rail tracks and two sheltered carriageways used for maintenance access and traffic lanes when particularly severe typhoons strike Hong Kong and the bridge deck is closed to traffic. More details

5. Russky Bridge:

The Russky Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge in Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, Russia. The bridge connects the Russky Island and the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula sections of the city across the Eastern Bosphorus strait, and with a central span of 1,104 metres (3,622 feet) it is the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world. The Russky Bridge was originally built to serve the 2012 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference hosted at the Far Eastern Federal University campus on Russky Island. It was completed in July 2012 and opened by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and on September 3, 2012, the bridge was officially given its name. More details

6. Verrazzano Narrows Bridge:

The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge that connects the New York City boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn and is named for Giovanni da Verrazzano. It spans the Narrows, a body of water linking the relatively enclosed Upper New York Bay with Lower New York Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The bridge carries thirteen lanes of Interstate 278, with seven lanes on the upper level and six on the lower level. In 1524, da Verrazzano became the first documented European explorer to enter New York Harbor and the Hudson River. Engineer David B. Steinman first proposed a bridge across the Narrows in 1927. Subsequent proposals of vehicular crossings across the Narrows were deferred over the next twenty years. More details

7. Yi Sun-sin Bridge:

Yi Sun-sin Bridge is a suspension bridge in the south coast of South Korea. The bridge is one part of The Approach Road to Yeosu Industrial Complex. It is the world's fifth longest suspension bridge in terms of its main span length of 1,545 m since it opened in 2012. The bridge connects Gwangyang with Myodo-dong, a small island that is part of Yeosu City. ‘Yi Sun-sin’ is the name of the Korean Admiral who was born in 1545 and built the world first ironclad warship called 'the Turtle ship' and defended the country against Japanese navy in the Joseon Dynasty. Some people miswrite his last name like 'Lee' instead of 'Yi' but 'Yi Sun-sin' is his official name. The bridge was designed by Yooshin corporation and was constructed by Daelim Industrial Company. More details

8. Höga Kusten Bridge:

The High Coast Bridge (Högakustenbron or Vedabron) is a suspension bridge crossing the mouth of the river Ångermanälven near Veda, on the border between the Härnösand and Kramfors municipalities in the province of Ångermanland in northern Sweden. The area is often referred to as The High Coast, hence its name. The bridge replaces Sandöbron, the old bridge across the river, in a new extension of the European route E4. It is (as of 2016) the third longest suspension bridge in Scandinavia (after the Great Belt Fixed Link in Denmark and Hardanger Bridge in Norway), the fourth longest in Europe, and the 16th longest of the world. More details

9. Mackinac Bridge:

The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the 26,372-foot-long (4.995 mi; 8.038 km) bridge (familiarly known as "Big Mac" and "Mighty Mac") is the world's 22nd-longest main span and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere. The Mackinac Bridge is part of Interstate 75 and the Lakes Michigan and Huron components of the Great Lakes Circle Tour across the straits; it is also a segment of the U.S. North Country National Scenic Trail. The bridge connects the city of St. Ignace on the north end with the village of Mackinaw City on the south. More details

10. Rion-Antirion Bridge:

The Rio–Antirrio Bridge (Rion-Antirion Bridge), officially the Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge, is one of the world's longest multi-span cable-stayed bridges and longest of the fully suspended type. It crosses the Gulf of Corinth near Patras, linking the town of Rio on the Peloponnese peninsula to Antirrio on mainland Greece by road. It opened in August 2004. The 2,380-metre-long (7,808 ft) bridge (approximately 1.8 miles) dramatically improves access to and from the Peloponnese, which could previously be reached only by ferry or via the isthmus of Corinth in the east. Its width is 28 m (92 ft) — it has two vehicle lanes per direction, an emergency lane and a pedestrian walkway. More details

11. Golden Gate Bridge:

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the American city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula—to Marin County, carrying both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 across the strait. The bridge is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco, California, and the United States. It has been declared one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. More details

12. Sydney Harbour Bridge:

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a heritage-listed steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic image of Sydney, and Australia itself. The bridge is nicknamed "The Coathanger" because of its arch-based design. Sydney Harbour BridgeUnder the direction of Dr John Bradfield of the NSW Department of Public Works, the bridge was designed and built by British firm Dorman Long and Co Ltd of Middlesbrough and opened in 1932. More details

13. London Bridges History:

Most of London Bridges are river crossings and the most well-known are those across the River Thames. Several bridges on other rivers have given their names to areas of London, particularly where the whole river has become subterranean. Other bridges are high level road or rail crossings across other streets. Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become an iconic symbol of London. Because of this, Tower Bridge is sometimes confused with London Bridge, situated some 0.5 mi (0.80 km) upstream. More details

14. Osman Gazi Bridge:

The Osman Gazi Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Gulf of İzmit at its narrowest point, 2,620 m (8,600 ft). The bridge links the Turkish city of Gebze to the Yalova Province and carries the O-5 motorway across the gulf. The bridge was opened on 1 July 2016 and surpassed the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge to become the longest bridge in Turkey and the sixth-longest suspension bridge in the world by the length of its central span. The length of the bridge is expected to be surpassed by the Çanakkale 1915 Bridge, which is currently under construction across the Dardanelles strait. More details

15. Bridges of New York:

New York City is home to over 2,000 bridges and tunnels. Several agencies manage this network of crossings, including the New York City Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New York State Department of Transportation and Amtrak. Many of the city's major bridges and tunnels have broken or set records. Opened in 1927, the Holland Tunnel was the world's first mechanically ventilated underwater vehicular tunnel. The Brooklyn Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge, George Washington Bridge, and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge were the world's longest suspension bridges when opened in 1883, 1903, 1931, and 1964 respectively. More details

16. Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge:

The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge (HZMB) is a 55-kilometre (34 mi) bridge–tunnel system consisting of a series of three cable-stayed bridges, an undersea tunnel, and four artificial islands. It is both the longest sea crossing and the longest open-sea fixed link in the world. The HZMB spans the Lingding and Jiuzhou channels, connecting Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai—three major cities on the Pearl River Delta. The HZM Bridge was designed to last for 120 years and cost US$18.8 billion to build. The cost of constructing the Main Bridge was estimated at US$7.56 billion funded by bank loans and shared among the governments of mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. More details

17. Grosvenor Bridge:

Grosvenor Bridge, originally known as, and alternatively called Victoria Railway Bridge, is a railway bridge over the River Thames in London, between Vauxhall Bridge and Chelsea Bridge. Originally constructed in 1860, and widened in 1865 and 1907, the bridge was extensively rebuilt and widened again in the 1960s as an array of ten parallel bridges. The original bridge was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century in two stages: the first bridge was built by the Victoria Station and Pimlico Railway between 1859 and 1860 at a cost of £84,000 to carry two tracks into Victoria Station; it was the first railway bridge across the Thames in central London. The engineer was Sir John Fowler. More details

18. Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge:

The Tees Transporter Bridge, often referred to as the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge, is the furthest downstream bridge across the River Tees, England. It connects Middlesbrough, on the south bank, to Port Clarence, on the north bank. It is a transporter bridge, carrying a travelling 'car', or 'gondola', suspended from the bridge, across the river in 90 seconds. The gondola can carry 200 people, 9 cars, or 6 cars and one minibus. It carries the A178 Middlesbrough to Hartlepool road. Locally, the bridge is often referred to simply as 'the Transporter'. The Tees Transporter Bridge has an overall length of 851 feet, leaving a span between the centres of the towers of 590 feet. More details

19. London Tower Bridge:

Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become a world-famous symbol of London. As a result, it is sometimes confused with London Bridge, about half a mile (0.8 km) upstream. Tower Bridge is one of five London bridges owned and maintained by the Bridge House Estates, a charitable trust overseen by the City of London Corporation. It is the only one of the trust's bridges not to connect the City of London directly to the Southwark bank, as its northern landfall is in Tower Hamlets. More details

20. Bridges History:

A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle, such as a body of water, valley, or road, without closing the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, usually something that is otherwise difficult or impossible to cross. There are many different designs that each serve a particular purpose and apply to different situations. Designs of bridges vary depending on the function of the bridge, the nature of the terrain where the bridge is constructed and anchored, the material used to make it and the funds available to build it. Most likely, the earliest bridges were fallen trees and stepping stones, while Neolithic people built boardwalk bridges across marshland. More details