A suspension bridge is a form of the bridge within which the deck (the supporting portion) is decorated below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. The primary modern samples of this sort of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Easy suspension bridges, that lack vertical suspenders, have an extended history in several mountainous parts of the world. The main forces in a suspension bridge of any sort are tension within the cables and compression in the pillars. Since most of the force on the pillars is vertically down and that they are also stabilised by the main cables, the pillars are often created quite slender. Here is the list of top 10 longest suspension bridge spans,
Longest Suspension Bridge Spans
1.) The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge- ( Main Span: 1,991 meters )
It is, with a length of just about four kilometres, the world’s longest suspension bridge. Opened in 1998, it spans the Akashi Strait (Akashi Kaikyo) between Kobe and Awaji Island and is an element of the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto freeway, one among three expressways that connect Honshu with the island. The Bridge Exhibition Centre at the foot of the Kobe facet of the bridge provides well-presented data regarding the look and construction of the bridge and regarding alternative suspension bridges around the world, though he elaborated explanations are offered in Japanese solely. It is one of the beautiful and longest suspension bridge spans in the world.
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Image Source: Wikimedia
2.) Xihoumen Bridge- ( Main Span: 1,650 meters )
With a span of 1,650m, it is the longest spanning bridge in China and therefore the second longest within the world, after Japan’s Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge. The bridge was engineered as a part of the Zhou Shan mainland and Islands Link Project that was launched by Sichuan Road and Bridge Co in 1999. Located in Zhou Shan Islands in China’s Zhejiang province, Xihoumen Bridge is one among 5 bridges linking the town of Ningbo and also the Zhou Shan land, the biggest offshore island cluster in China. The bridge was engineered by Zhejiang Government at a value of 2.48bn yuan (about $363m). Construction work began in 2005 and the main span of the bridge was completed in Dec 2007. The bridge was completed and opened to traffic on 25 Dec 2009.
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Image Source: Wikimedia
3.) Great Belt Bridge- ( Main Span: 1,624 meters )
It usually refers to the bridge, though it may also be used to mean the box-girder bridge or the link in its totality. The bridge formally called the East Bridge, has the world’s third longest main span (1.6 km), and therefore the longest outside of Asia. It had been designed by the Danish engineering companies COWI and Ramboll. Built between 1991 and 1998 at a value of US$950 million, the East Bridge (Østbroen) is a bridge between Halsskov and Sprogø. It is 6,790 metres (22,277 ft.) along with a free span of 1,624 metres (5,328 ft.), making it the world’s third-longest bridge span. At 254 metres (833 ft.) on top of water level, the two pylons of the East Bridge are the very best points on independent structures in Denmark. Some radio masts, like Tommerup transmitter, are taller. To keep the main cables tensioned, an anchorage structure on all sides of the span is placed below the road deck. After fifteen years, the cables have no rust.
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Image Source: Wikimedia
4.) Osman Gazi Bridge- ( Main Span: 1,550 meters )
The last bridge for the İzmit Bay Bridge, that has become the fourth longest bridge with the biggest central span within the world, was put during a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communication Minister Binali Yıldırım and Science, business and Technology Minister Fikri Işık. Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Erdoğan declared that the new bridge that connects either side of the Izmit Bay in north-western Turkey is named once the founding father of the empire (a dynasty at the time), Osman Gazi. The construction of the bridge started in 2013 and is opened at the top of May 2016.
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Image Soure: Wikimedia
5.) Yi Sun-sin Bridge- ( Main Span: 1,545 meters )
It is a bridge within the south coast of South Korea. The bridge is one part of The Approach Road to Yeosu Industrial complex. It’s the world’s fifth longest 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 little island that’s a part of Yeosu town. ‘Yi Sun-sin’ is the name of the Korean Admiral who was born in 1545 and engineered the world first ironclad war vessel referred to as ‘the Turtle ship’ and defended the country against Japanese navy in the Joseon dynasty. Some individuals miswrite his surname like ‘Lee’ rather than ‘Yi’ however ‘Yi Sun-sin’ is his official name. The bridge was designed by Yooshin Corporation and was created by Daelim Industrial Company. Unlike the previous suspension bridges in Korea, Daelim’s engineers administered the entire construction engineering by themselves despite its outstanding scale compared with the previous ones.
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Image Source: Wikimedia
6.) Runyang Yangtze River Bridge- ( Main Span: 1,490 meters )
It is a large bridge complex that crosses the river in Jiangsu Province, China, downstream of Nanjing. The complex consists of 2 major bridges that link Zhenjiang on the south bank of the stream and Yangzhou on the north. The bridge is an element of the Yangzhou–Liyang superhighway. Construction of the bridge complex began in Oct 2000 and was completed sooner than scheduled. The bridge price 5.8 billion Yuan (about US$700 million). The complex opened to traffic on Apr 30, 2005. The full length of the bridge complex is about 35.66 kilometres (22.16 mi). In between the two bridges is that the island of Shiyezhou. The south bridge is a bridge with a main span of 1,490 metres (4,888 ft.). Upon its completion in 2005, it became the third longest suspension bridge span within the world and therefore the largest in China. With the gap of the Xihoumen Bridge in 2007, it became the second-longest span in China. It’s currently the fifth longest in the world. The towers are 215 metres (705 ft.) higher than water level. The two approach spans don’t seem to be suspended.
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Image Source: Wikimedia
7.) Second Dontinghu Bridge- ( Main Span: 1,480 meters )
One of the longest suspension bridge spans over Dongting Lake is a major part of the route section in Hunan province. The two-way six-lane bridge is 2,390 meters long, with a main span of 1,480 meters, creating it the longest steel beam bridge in China. Dongting Lake, called “the kidney of the Yangtze River,” is that the second-largest fresh lake in China and one among the foremost necessary wetlands in China and also the world.
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8.) Nanjing Fourth Yangtze Bridge- ( Main Span: 1,418 meters )
One of the longest suspension bridge spans over the Yangtze River in Jiangsu, China. The bridge includes a main span of 1,385 metres (4,544 ft.) connects Jiangyin south of the stream to Jingjiang to the north. Once the bridge was completed in 1999, it had been the fourth longest suspension bridge span within the world and also the longest in China. Many longer bridges have since been completed in China and abroad however it still ranks among the 10 longest bridge spans in the world. The bridge was additionally the furthest downstream on the Yangtze until the completion of the Sutong River Bridge in 2008 and also the Chongming–Qigong river Bridge in 2011.
Image Source: Wikimedia
9.) Humber Bridge- ( Main Span: 1,410 meters )
Near Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, is a 2,220-metre (2,430 yds.; 7,280 ft.; 1.38 mi) single-span bridge that opened to traffic on 24 June 1981. Once it had been opened, it had been the longest of its sort within the world; it was not surpassed till 1998, with the completion of the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, and it’s currently the eighth-longest. It spans the Humber, (the estuary shaped by the rivers Trent and Ouse), between Barton-upon-Humber on the south bank and Hessle on the north bank, thereby connecting the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. Once it opened in 1981, each side of the bridge was within the non-metropolitan county of Humberside, till its dissolution in 1996. The bridge may be seen for miles around and from as so much as Parrington within the East Riding of Yorkshire and resolute ocean miles off the East Yorkshire coast. It’s a Grade I listed building.
Image Source: Wikimedia
10.) Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge- ( Main Span: 1,408 meters )
The bridge is a component of the projected 260 kilometres (160 mi) Northern Marmara Sea state highway (Turkish: Kuzey Marmara Otoyolu), which can bypass urban areas of Istanbul within the north connecting Kınalı, Silivri in the west and Paşaköy, Hendek in the east. The 58.4-metre-wide (192 ft.) bridge is 2,164 m (7,100 ft.) long with a main span of 1,408 m (4,619 ft.). The most span is the ninth longest bridge in the world.
Image Source: Wikimedia
These are the 10 longest suspension bridge spans in the world. Do post your comments.
