Impressive Bridges with Long Distance in the World

Since the ancient ages, man has been constructing bridges of different kinds. The primary purpose of it was to cross the rivers and valleys. Later on, some were also constructed for reducing the distances and over the railway tracks for convenience. So in this article, we’ll discuss the longest bridges in the world.

These architectural masterpieces need proper planning to be constructed. Some of the overpasses in the world are also constructed on water. For example, The Danyang Kunshan Grand goes above the water for more than 9 kilometers. Adding to that, it has to be built in such a way that it can withstand heavy traffic and natural disasters. Chinese are getting quite good at this. There are more bridges in China than any other country in the world.

China has the Longest Bridge

China is one of the rapidly developing countries with a stable economy. It is the country in the world that has the longest overpass in the world. In fact, 6 of the longest bridges are located in China including Danyang-Kunshan Grand, Cangde Grand, Tianjin Grand, Weinan Weihe Grand, Beijing Grand, and Line 1 Wuhan Metro Bridge.

Impressive Growth in Industrial Sector

After the 2000s the country started progressing by leaps and bounds. The industrial sector of China has transformed. They’ve begun building massive industrial and public transport lines. The purpose of building these is to connect the major trading and industrial spots of the country. Railway has also become a primary mean of transportation out here. Adding to that, much work has been done on promoting public transport. To make shipping even easier, the Chinese companies have constructed different overpass all over the country.

China is in fact the country with the longest bridges, and they have broken many records worldwide.

1. Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge, China (164,800 Meters)

The longest bridge in the world is located in China above the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway. The name of this bridge is Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge, and it covers a total distance of about 164,800 meters (102.4 miles approx.) The construction of the bridge started in 2006, and it took a total of 4 years to complete the construction of this bridge. After one year of its completion, the railway began operating in 2011. The bridge was also added to Guinness Book of World Record in 2011. About 10,000 contractors were appointed for constructing this mighty bridge.

Chinese government planned to make the most impressive overpass in the world. The idea was to create a railroad bridge to connect Shanghai and Nanjing. To make this possible, the designers and contractors had to plan correctly. This was because it was not just over 100 miles long but also that it had to be built upon different land structures, passing through mountains, river, and uneven areas. The design of it was finalized in 2006. Right after that, the construction was started.

It took more than four years to construct this massive architecture. A workforce of more than 10,000 people worked on this project using latest technology. The total revenue spent on building this was about 8.5 billion US dollars. Later on, it was finished on 15th November 2010. It was opened in July 2011. At an average, the overpass is almost 100 feet above the ground level.

Although the overpass is mainly used for the railway but it is also used by the people who live in nearby areas to travel from one place to another. As it passes through Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Nanjing, Kushan and Zhenjiang, so the people from these cities can also take advantage of this overpass. More than 5.6 miles of this bridge is located right on the water of Yangcheng Lake near Suzhou.

The part is built to have extra strength and stands over 2000 pillars and steel cables. Adding to that 450,000 tons of steel structure is used in this section. It is designed in such a way that it can withstand natural disasters and earthquakes up to a magnitude of 8. Not only that, but the overpass can also withstand direct hits from naval vessels weighing up to 300,000 tons.

2. Changhua-Kaohsiung Viaduct, Taiwan (157,317 Meters)

The second largest overpass of the world is located in Taiwan and has a maximum span of about 157,317 meters. It is known as Changhua-Kaohsiung Viaduct. The bridge starts from Baguashan (Changhua Country) and extends till Zuoying (Kaohsiung). The construction was completed in 2007.

This bridge is constructed by keeping in mind the safety measure. It’s designed on a vast number of viaducts to make it shock resistant form earthquakes. The fault lines are also made on the overpass to avoid severe damage in the fault movements.

3. Cangde Grand, China (115,900 Meters)

Cangde Grand Bridge is in China which is one of the longest overpass in the world. The total length of it is about 115,900 meters (105 kilometers approx.). It was constructed to withstand earthquakes and aftershocks. The construction was completed in 2010. It has 3092 piers and extends to about 72 miles.

Longest Bridges of The World

Down below is the list of some of the longest bridges in the world:

4. Tianjin Grand, China (113,700 Meters)

Located in China, Tianjin is the fourth largest bridge in the world. It extends up to a total of 70.6 miles. The construction was started in 2006 and completed in 2010. This one also carries Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway. It was opened one year after it’s construction, in 2011.

5. Weinan Weihe Grand, China (49.5 miles)

Weinan Weihe is currently the 5th longest overpass in the world. It is about 49.5 meters long. Its construction was completed in 2008. It is basically a part of Zhengzhou Zi’an high-speed railway. It used to be the longest one back in 2008. But later on, after two other overpass were constructed on the Beijing Shanghai High-Speed Railway.

6. Bang Na Expressway, Thailand (55 kilometers)

The full name of Bang Na Expressway is Bang Pli – Bang Pakong Expressway. It is officially known as Burapha Withi Expressway. Which is basically 54 kilometers long highway located in Bangkok. It is a toll road and is above the National Highway route 34. The average span length of it is 42 meters it was completed in February 200. More than 1.8 million cubic meters of concrete was used in the construction of this overpass. The structure of it was designed by Jean Muller International.

7. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway:

This bridge is named after Count de Pontchartrain. During the reign of Sun King, Louis XIV, he used to be the minister of finance. Pontchartrain and Causeway are one of the major attraction in US. This is because of their breathtaking landscapes. The span of Causeway is about 24 miles and is included in some of the longest water overpass in the world. The parallel spans of it are made prepressed panels. It was publicly opened in 1956 for the first time.