Magnificent, incredible and rock strong! We use bridges almost every day but have never quite stopped aside to marvel their beauty and their engineering work! Made out of massive amounts of metal, concrete and wires, bridges weigh thousands of tons and stand strong against natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and floods, becoming a source of commutation for people across different places. But, despite their importance, bridges are never seen as architectural and engineering artworks. So, here is an ode to the world’s biggest and most prominent bridges that deserve our appreciation and the attention.
AKASHI KAIKYO BRIDGE
Title – World’s Longest Suspension Bridge
Location – Japan
Length – 2.43 miles
Architect – Satoshi Kashima
Suspension bridges are one of the most intrinsic feat of architectural and engineering works. These giant structures do not only weigh huge, but also have to manipulate with both compression and tension. The bridge is designed to withstand an earthquake of 8.5 magnitude and typhoons as strong as 180 mph.
ZHUHAI-MACAU BRIDGE
Title – World’s Longest Cross-Sea Bridge
Location – China
Length – 31 miles
Architect – ARUP
China built this huge cross-sea bridge with the purpose of connecting two of the most important cities of the huge country, Hong Kong and Macau. The bridge consists of 2 sections and 3 artificial islands. The two sections are connected by a 1.7 mile tunnel which is big enough to allow large shipping vessels to easily pass through it. The inland route between Hong Kong and Macau was earlier 4 hours, which is now reduced to a 30 minute drive, because of this magnificent bridge.
LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN CAUSEWAY
Title – World’s Longest Continuous Bridge Over Water
Location – USA
Length – 23.87 miles
Architect – Louisiana Bridge Company
Designed on the Lake Pontchartrain, this bridge connects Mandeville with New Orleans, and also all the southeastern states of United States. The bridge was originally not designed specifically to withstand hurricanes, but it still managed to stand strong against Hurricane Katrina and also acted as the only source of commutation for delivering emergency supplies to the affected city of New Orleans. Post Katrina, the bridge was closed for 3 weeks for maintenance and repair, the only time it has been closed since its opening in 1956.
MILLAU VIADUCT
Title – World’s Tallest Bridge
Location – France
Length – 1.53 miles
Architect – Norman Foster and Michel Virlogeux
The Millau Bridge, located in Aveyron France is the world’s tallest bridge to ever have been made. A stayed cable bride, the Millau Viaduct stretches across the Tarn River Valley and its expressway lanes are located 890 feet above the valley floor. The bridge itself has a height of 235 feet above the express lanes, making its total height 1,125 feet. The Millau Viaduct is commonly referred to as one of the greatest example of architectural and modern engineering work.
DUDGE BRIDGE / BEIPANJIANG BRIDGE DUGE
Title – World’s Highest Bridge
Location – China
Length – 4,400 feet
Architect – Peng Yundong
Build at 1,854 feet above the ground level, the Dudge Bridge is a stayed cable bridge that is 4,400 feet long. The bridge connects two valleys thus, helping transportation which otherwise was very slow and restricted to smaller vehicles only. The bridge is also known as the Beipanjiang Bridge Duge and it is believed that by 2020, the Guizhou Province will have a total of 250 bridges, each above 330 feet in height.