Top 10 longest bridges in the world

The longest bridges in the world are not just structures connecting point A to point B, but real masterpieces of design thought. Often they amaze not only with their size, but also with their appearance, becoming the hallmark of the country. Today we will talk about the top ten of the most pedestrian and automobile structures, the length of which will surprise you.

10 Wuhan Metro Line 37,788 Overpass, XNUMX km

metro bridge connects a huge Chinese city together Wuhan (10,6 million inhabitants). Wuhan, located in the densely populated province of Hubei, was only the fifth city in China to have a subway line built.

The bridge was built in 2009 (the first line was completed in 2004) and due to the city’s location along the Yangtze and Han rivers, it covers a huge amount of water. Wuhan is a major transportation hub in China and was the country’s capital during the Japanese invasion.

9. Dam Bridge over Lake Pontchartrain, 38,422 km

Construction was completed in 1969 and the bridge held the world record for length (through water) until 2011 when the Jiaozhao Bridge was built in China. The Pontchartrain connects the nearest suburb of New Orleans to Mandeville in Louisiana, commonly referred to as the North Shore.

For an idea bridge over the Pontchartrain it is worth thanking Bernard de Marigny, who conceived the bridge at the beginning of the 30th century (he also founded the town of Mandeville). It was he who started the ferry service, which existed until the mid-XNUMXs of the last century.

In the 1920s, it was proposed to create artificial islands, and then connect them to each other using bridges. When the question arose of financing the project, they decided to receive funds through the sale of houses on the islands.

The modern causeway began to take shape in 1948, when Ernest M. Loeb Jr. conceived the design for the bridge, which was completed in 1956.

8. Beijing Viaduct, 48,153 km

This railway viaduct connecting Beijing and Shanghai is also called Beijing Grand Bridge (it’s really big, even the photos look extremely impressive).

The length of the structure is just over 48 km, which makes it not only one of the longest bridges in the world, but also one of the most unusual: after all, the Chinese know a lot about architecture.

7. Bang Na Highway, 54 km

This is six lane highway in thailand is a toll road and passes over Route 34 of the National Highway (Bang Na Trat Highway), which is owned by the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT).

The contract design method was used in the construction of the structure, and the columns and superstructure were designed by American Jean M. Müller. To design the leveling and foundation, they have already invited “their own” from Thailand.

The project was built jointly by Bilfinger + Berger (Germany) and Ch. Karnchan (Thailand). The bridge was completed in January 2000 and required 1 cubic meters of concrete to build.

6. Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, 55 km

Bridge between Hong Kong and Macau is a 55 km system that includes three cable-stayed bridges, an underwater tunnel and four artificial islands.

The bridge spans canals connecting Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai, three large cities in the Pearl River Delta. It is designed for 120 years of service and cost 127 billion yuan during construction, which is almost $19 billion.

The funding came from bank loans shared between the governments of mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.

5. Bridge over the Wei, 79,732 km

Building bridge over the wei began in 2009 in China, when Vice Premier Li Keqiang held the opening ceremony. Construction on the Hong Kong section began in 2011 after a delay caused by a legal issue regarding the bridge’s environmental impact.

The last bridge tower was completed in the summer of 2016, the last curved element of the straight section of the underwater tunnel was installed at the same time, and the last connecting tunnel was installed in the spring of 2017.

Construction of the main bridge, consisting of a viaduct and an underwater tunnel, was completed on July 6, 2017, and the entire construction project was completed on February 6, 2018. The construction process was overshadowed by the deaths of workers: 19 people died in all the time.

4. Changdei Viaduct, 105,81 km

It is not only the fourth longest bridge in the world, but also one of the three longest on the railway. It was completed in 2010 and has become an essential part of the high-speed rail link between Beijing and Shanghai.

Given the seismic activity of those places, this bridge was designed taking into account possible earthquakes and is able to withstand them. In the future, this can save not only the equipment and the design itself, but also hundreds (or even thousands) of human lives.

3. Tianjin viaduct, 113,7 km

Another bridge stretching between Beijing and Shanghaibut this time it’s a flyover. This design was chosen, on the one hand, in order not to build numerous individual elements, and on the other hand, in order to complete the work as soon as possible.

Another plus is that the railway line in this case needs less land area: for the railway embankment, 28,4 hectares are required per kilometer traveled, and for the bridge – only 10,9 hectares, that is, less than half of the first option.

2. Zhanghua-Kaohsiung Viaduct, 157,3 km

Zhanghua-Kaohsiung Bridge – it is an overpass for part of the railway line of Taiwan’s high-speed rail network.

This high-speed rail line is part of Taiwan’s road network that runs up and down the west coast of the island. The entire line (including the bridge) was built by Taiwanese engineers using Japanese technology, which is also designed to withstand tremors and allow trains to stop safely during an earthquake.

1. Danyang Kunshan Viaduct 164,8 km

The bridge that won the rating can be found in Jiangsu Province: Danyang-Kunshan Viaduct lies between Shanghai and Nanjing. The bridge runs almost parallel to the Yangtze River at a distance of 8–80 km to the south. From west to east, it runs through the northern outskirts of Danyang, Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou and Kunshan.

A full 9 km of the bridge runs over open water across Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou. The construction was completed in 2010 and in 2011 the bridge was put into operation. The construction process lasted 4 years and required the involvement of 10 thousand workers. For everything about everything, the authorities and private investors spent $8,5 billion.

The construction of the Great Danyang-Kunshan Bridge was not an easy task. Being a mega-dream project, it was expected to cause a boom in the country’s communications infrastructure.

China has given a boost to its industrial capacity since early 2000 with plans to build several long bridges. To realize this aspiration, it was necessary to build the longest bridge in Asia.

With the construction of the Great Danyang-Kunshan Bridge, China easily overcame the problems in its vast public and industrial transportation system. This bridge plays a key role in connecting the famous industrial centers of the country.