Amazing bridges can be found in many places around the world. Beautiful, modern or ancient, low or soaring… these amazing bridges are not only built to get over obstacles of nature, they are works of art often built with extreme technical challenges. Here are ten of the most amazing bridges in the world with a few facts that highlight their special characteristics.
1. In 1870 John et Washington Roebling wanted to construct the most beautiful bridge in the world. It was meant to connect Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn over the East river in New York. The bridge opened in 1883 after 13 years of construction, 15.5 millions and it cost the lives of 27 people. Gothic towers stand on submerged caissons where the work had to be done. While working in one of the caissons Washington Roebling was victim of a decompression accident that rendered him paralyzed. Today one of the oldest suspension bridge in the US, the amazing Brooklyn Bridge is one of the symbols of the city of New York, displaying its majestic towers, its cables and braces.
Visiting the Brooklyn Bridge is free to the public and it is open 24/7. It is accessible from the Brooklyn entrances of Tillary/Adams Streets, Sands/Pearl Streets, and Exit 28B of the eastbound Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Pedestrians who walk the span of the bridge are greeted with one of the most magnificent view on Manhattan Island to the NW and Brooklyn to the SE.
2. The Rion-Antirion amazing bridge in Greece Corinth Gulf is the second longest cable-stayed bridge in the world with a length of 2352 meters (1.46 mile). It was first the idea of Prime Minister Harilaos Trikoupis, in 1880, to go across the Gulf of Corinth. While the project did not see any progress until 1991, the Prime Minister’s name is the official name of the bridge . From 1991 to 1998 when the first stone was set, only legal, financial and administrative progress was accomplished. The final agreement was that the company Gefyra would conceive, construct, finance and administer all aspects of the bridge until 2039 when the Rion-Antirion Bridge will be returned to the Greek Government who will then administer the bridge and finally collect all revenues. The bridge was officially open in 2004, a week before the Olympic games. What makes the Rion-Antirion amazing besides the length of time it took for its construction from the first idea, is found in the statistics:
According to Nikos Mantzoufas Special Secretary for Public-Private Partnerships, cost of the bridge rose to € 750 000 000. But more importantly is its extraordinary engineering.
It comprises a 600 m viaduct, 4 vertical structures and 4 lanes of highway. Construction included 250 000 m3 (8,828,666 ft3) of concrete, the metal framework weights 172 000 metric tons, and the 4 concrete towers are 227 m (744 ft) high, and carry a total of 368 stayed cables. The Rion-Antirion bridge was the recipient of “The Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA)” award by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
3. Bixby Creek Arch Bridge is one of 5 bridges on Highway 1 and it is a beautiful architectural success. Built in 1931-1932 the single arch Bixby Bridge, as it is known, is a structural work that may not be very sound, but that is perfectly integrated into the environment. It is mostly a symbol of the American discovery of the coast as it is the bridge that opened the roadway. Regardless of how it is seen, it is splendid concrete work of art. It spans over a deep canyon where the king of Beatniks and progenitor of the Hippies, Jack Kerouac, looking for peace (for a soul and body racked by drugs and booze,) found a temporary haven where he wrote “Big Sur”.
4. If you happen to be in Brasilia the capital of Brazil you cannot see the Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, a conception of architect Alexandre Chan and structural engineer Mário Vila Verde. Like many of the futuristic buildings in Brasilia this bridge is a testimony of the twentieth century. It spans across a man made lake, Lake Paranoá. It was built to relieve the traffic conditions in a city that was designed for 500 000 people but in less than 50 years grew to more than 2 million people. With its asymmetric arches that seem to interweave in the air, this metallic structure has become one of the symbols of the City that was awarded the status of Historical and Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, in 1987. This amazing bridge opened in 2002 and Alexander Chan received several awards for a beautiful architecture displaying harmony with the environment and esthetic. When I look at this bridge I can only think about skipping stones across the water. There is a path on the bridge for pedestrians and bicycles.
5. The most famous bridge in the world is probably the Golden Gate Bridge, it is certainly the most photographed, and it appeared in more movies than any other bridge. It is indeed a beautiful bridge, one that had a profound impact on the development of the region. San Francisco owes its celebrity status to this amazing bridge. Today it is not the longest, the highest, nor would it be the most technically challenging to build, but in 1937 when it was finished after 4 years of work, it was an accomplishment. It is like a gigantic hammock suspended between two huge pylons the size of 65 stories building. It is considered one of the 7 wonders of the modern world.
6. Open in 1991 the Nanpu Bridge in Shanghai is the first steel and concrete girder cable stayed bridge built in China. It is the longest in China and the 4th longest of it kind in the world. The total length is 5.185 miles (8346 m). The center pylons reach a height 492 feet (150 m). It takes its name, like many other bridges in China from an abbreviation of the two districts it connects. Nanshi on the north, and Pudong on the south. What makes this bridge originality is the spiral highway in puxi. This circular approach to the bridge was designed to minimize the use of land, and is considered one of the wonder in bridge design. It is open to the public by elevator from 8 :30 am -16:30 pm, and admission is free.
7. Around 2000 years ago the Romans needed water for the city of Nîmes that was growing rapidly. They thought that the solution was to get water from the nearby area of Uzès, a town that had an abundant source of water. To move the water from Uzès to Nîmes they conceived a 50 km aqueduct. Although Uzès and Nîmes are only 20 km from one another it was not possible to build in a straight line. This was a gigantic work that followed the natural lay of the land and had to overcome many obstacles including crossing the river Gard. The Gard s a river that seems quiet, but can awaken with incredible tantrums and take everything along its way. Construction of the aqueduct lasted 10 years, and the bridge itself took about 5 years. You can visit the bridge and the museum that uses modern technology to recreate (in a smaller scale) the actual building of the bridge. Multimedia presentations give visitors ways to learn and have fun as they visit at their own pace and immerse themselves in the life of Nîmes at the time of the Roman Empire. A very worth while visit for adult and children. It is open year round from 9:30 am closing times vary according to the seasons.
A special note about this amazing Roman bridge : it seems that all this work was not to be worth it at the time of the Empire as the aqueduct was used only about 150 years. Reason for its demise was the high costs of maintenance. What was not to be of lasting value to the Romans has been an enduring value to humanity for centuries even millenniums.
8. The Oresund bridge is one of the most extraordinary bridge. It is a bridge with an extension on an island, then a tunnel that links Malmö and Copenhagen, it is the connection between Denmark and Sweden, the European continent and the Scandinavian peninsula. The economic implications of this bridge could not be greater. It created exchanges that were practically non-existant before. It goes without saying that the area had an interest to distinguish itself and the result is just beautiful. This architectural and technological jewel bridge/tunnel is the longest in the world with 16 km (10 miles) and it stands 60 m (196 ft) above the water.
In Sweden it is spelled Öresundsbron and in Denmark they spell it Øresundsbroen, but the company that manages the bridge insist on spelling it Øresundsbron, a compromise between the two languages, as a symbol of cultural unity of the area.
9. Every village of the minority Dong in China is situated along rivers. They are connected to the external world by an impressive covered wood bridge called the bridge of wind and rain. The most famous of these amazing bridges is the Chengyang Bridge. It is 76 m (249 ft) long, 3.4 m wide, and 10.4 m (35 ft) high. It is a fairly recent bridge built in 1916 that took 12 years for villagers to build. This very elegant bridge is considered the most beautiful of all 108 such bridges in the area. What makes this truly amazing architectural masterpiece is the fact that not one nail was used to hold all the wood together. Not one single piece of metal was included in the entire construction. This bridge without nails is also called Yongji bridge, or the Panlong bridge.
10. Hussaini Bridge (Pakistan) Needless to say that I will not give you statistics about this bridge, other than it is one of the most frightening bridge in the world. There is no stability and if this was not scary enough it is used to cross over the river Hunza, famous for very strong currents. Would you be adventurous enough to cross it? What if you saw the most magnificent view from the bridge would it make a difference. Please tell me what you think. Have you taken it? Use the You can post page to tell us and show your pictures.
I don’t suffer from gephyrophobia, but after crossing this bridge, I think a lot of people might be afflicted for ever, assuming they survive the crossing. Amazing.
I hope you enjoyed these amazing bridges around the world. Please let me know what you think.
Photo Credits: Yiannis Logiotatides on Flickr – Wikkimedia commons – Webshots