The Worlds Most Amazing

Bridges
Pedestrian Bridge, Texas
This beautiful arched bridge in Lake Austin was built by Miro Rivera Architects
and is used to connect the client's main house to the smaller guest house on the
other side of the pond.
To make the bridge seem
as natural as possible within
its surroundings they made
the decking and reed-like
hand rails imperfect but still
structurally sound.
Pedestrian Bridge, Texas
Kintaikyo, Iwakuni , J apan
The original Kintai Bridge was built in 1673 but collapsed due to flooding. The
rebuilt bridge survived for more than 200 years until a typhoon destroyed it in
1950.
Kintaikyo, Iwakuni , J apan
The bridge that stands now over the Nishiki River has five wooden arches
displaying an incredible amount of detail and craftmanship. Interesting fact: no
nails or bolts have been used to build the arches, only clamps and wires.
J uscelino Kubitschek Bridge, Brasilia, Brazil
The JK Bridge in Brasilia is a lesson in elegant bridge design.
J uscelino Kubitschek Bridge, Brasilia, Brazil
The three huge diagonal arches over the deck of the bridge give the structure an
amazing visual fluidity (yeah, but was the designer slightly inebriated when he
designed this structure?).
Oliveira Bridge (Brazil): World's First X-shaped
Cable Stayed Bridge with two crossed lanes
The Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge over the Pinheiros River in So Paulo,
Brazil opened in May 2008. It is 450-ft tall and connects Marginal Pinheiros to
Jornalista Roberto Marinho Avenue.
Oliveira Bridge (Brazil): World's First X-shaped
Cable Stayed Bridge with two crossed lanes
Its design is unique in that the 2 curved decks of the bridge cross each other through
its X-shaped supporting tower.


Rolling Bridge, London, UK
Thomas
Heatherwick's award-
winning rolling bridge
is an ingenious and
unique addition to
the Grand Union
Canal System in
London.
Rolling Bridge, London, UK
Unlike regular movable canal bridges, the rolling bridge curls up to form an
octagon by way of hydraulic jacks to let ships pass.
Beipanjiang River Railroad Bridge, Guizhou, China
Beipanjiang River Railroad Bridge in Guizhou is an enormous railway bridge that was
built as part of the Guizhou-Shuibai Railway Project. Connecting two mountains over
a deep ravine, at its highest point, the bridge's deck sits 918 ft above the ground.
Parenthetically the bridge connects two of the country's poorest areas.
Henderson Waves, Southern Ridges, Singapore
Henderson Waves is Singapore's highest pedestrian bridge and is at the
Southern Ridges, a beautiful 9 km (six mile) stretch of gardens and parks.
Henderson Waves, Southern Ridges, Singapore
The deck of the bridge is made from thousands of Balau wood slats, perfectly cut and
arranged, and along the length of the deck a snaking, undulating shell forms sheltered
seating areas on every upward curve.
Pont Gustave Flaubert, Rouen, France
This incredible vertical lift bridge is in Rouen, France, and its spans weigh 1,200
tons each but can be hoisted 180 ft vertically in an impressive 12 minutes. The
angular lift structures at the top of each tower weigh 450 tons. The huge vertical lift
allows even the largest cruise liners to sail through.
Hegigio Gorge Pipeline Bridge , Southern Highlands Province,
Papua, New Guinea
This bridge supports two pipelines - one gas, the other oil - across the extremely
deep gap in Papua, New Guinea .
Hegigio Gorge Pipeline Bridge , Southern Highlands Province,
Papua, New Guinea
If this were to be officially recognized as a vehicular or pedestrian bridge, it would
rocket to the top of the world's highest bridge-span with the pipelines at an
impressive height of 1,290 ft above the bottom of the gorge. By comparison, the
current highest bridge span belongs to the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, hanging
a mere 1,053 ft above ground level
This bridge that becomes a tunnel connects Newport News, Sweden, and
Suffolk, Denmark.
Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel
Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel
Banpo Bridge (South Korea): The Fountain Bridge
On September 9, 2008, the Banpo Bridge in Seoul (South Korea) got a major
facelift: a 10,000-nozzle fountain that runs all the way on both sides. Immediately
after being installed, the bridge turned into a major tourist attraction, as the bridge
pumps out 190 tons of water per minute using the water from the river below.
Millau Bridge (France): World's Tallest Vehicular Bridge
Towering 1,125-ft above the Tarn Valley in southern France, this marvel is slightly taller
than the Eiffel Tower, took three years to build and opened to the public in 2004. The
Millau Bridge has a total length of 8,071-ft with the longest single span at 1,122-ft and
a maximum clearance below of 886-ft.
Hangzhou Bay Bridge (China): World's Longest Trans-Oceanic Bridge
Across the Hangzhou Bay extends
the longest trans-oceanic bridge in
the world, 22 miles long with six
expressway lanes in two directions.
The bridge was built to address
traffic congestion, cutting the
driving time between Shanghai and
Ningbo from four to two-and-a-half
hours.
The bridge underwent
various feasibility studies for
a decade before it was
approved in 2003, and finally
opened to the public on May
1, 2008. Total investment on
the bridge was RMB 11.8
billion (around US$ 1.4
billion).

Hangzhou Bay Bridge (China): World's Longest Trans-Oceanic Bridge
Wind and Rain Bridge (China): Dong People's Bridge
The Wind and Rain Bridge is the symbolized architecture of the Dong minority
people. The wind and rain bridge in Diping is the largest of its kind in Guizhou
Province, where China's biggest Dong community lives. The bridge was first built
in 1894 during the Qing Dynasty over 100 years ago. However, the original
structure was destroyed in a big fire in 1959 and the one visitors see today was a
recreation finished in 1964.
Tower Bridge (UK): Most Famous and Beautiful Victorian Bridge
Completed in 1894 Tower Bridge (so named after the two, striking, 141-ft high
towers and the Tower of London close to it) is one of the most famous landmarks
in London. The 800-ft long bridge has a 28-ft clearance when closed but raises in
the centre to a maximum clearance of 140-ft that allows ships to pass down the
Thames. Tower Bridge took 432 workers 8 years to build.
Magdeburg Water Bridge (Germany): Europe's Largest Water Bridge
The Magdeburg Water Bridge connects the former East and West Germany
over the Elbe River, and it was made as part of the unification project. 1 km
long, the 500 million euros water bridge enables river barges to avoid a lengthy
and sometimes unreliable passage along the Elbe. Shipping used to come to a
halt on the stretch if the rivers water mark fell to unacceptably low levels.
Ponte Vecchio (Italy): Oldest and Most Famous of its kind
The Ponte Vecchio in Florence is thought to be the oldest wholly-stone built,
segmental arch bridge in Europe, although there are many partial segments which
date further back. It was originally built of wood until destroyed by floods in 1333, and
twelve years later it was rebuilt using stone. The bridge has housed everybody from
Medieval merchants and butchers to souvenir stalls and art dealers.
The Millau Viaduct
Paris to Barcelona
The bridge with two lanes on each side will cross the river at 270 meters
above ground. At its highest point, the viaduct is even higher than the Eiffel
Tower.
The total cost of the project was around 310 million euros
($525 million). It opened to traffic in December 2004, just
39 months after work began.
The biggest bridge in the world
2460 meters long
343 meter high