The World’s Most Massive Suspension Bridges

Traveling has been an important part of human life since time immemorial, be it for social interaction, tourism, work, employment or business. With the passage of time, as mankind became aware of different geographical locations, the duration of travel also got longer. Road and rail are preferred over other modes not only for short but often for long journeys as it is cheaper and safer than sea and air travel. The use of a bridge is indispensable to cross various obstacles in the way, such as water, ditches, swamps, etc.

Bridges not only help in crossing road obstacles but also help in reducing travel time. Early bridges were likely made with tree trunks and stones, such as the historic Arkadiko Arch Bridge in the Peloponnese peninsula of southern Greece, built in the 13th century. In today’s era, innovation in the field of construction engineering has brought out such amazing creations in bridge construction that are mind-boggling.

Different types of bridges around the world are famous for their construction and design, but today we will specifically mention 10 suspension bridges in the world that can undoubtedly be called masterpieces in the world of construction.

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Their sophisticated designs withstand natural calamities like earthquakes, storms and typhoons, as the world’s largest bridges have been built with careful planning, advanced technology and sophisticated engineering. Every activity, from design and foundations to installation of cables, is ensured with the highest standards of quality control and safety measures.

1915 Canakkale Bridge

This is Turkey’s 1915 Canakkale Bridge, which is considered to be one of the largest mega projects and the longest suspension bridge in the world. The tallest towers in the world supporting this 3,563-Meter Long Bridge in Turkey’s southwestern Canakkale province are 318 Meters Tall, 18 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The construction of this mega project was started in 2017 costing about $2.8 Billion. Initially it was scheduled to be completed by September 2023, and later brought forward to March 2022. The plan to build a bridge over the Dardanelles Strait, connecting the European and Asian parts of Turkey was first proposed in the 1990s, while in September 2016, the government officially launched the bridge building project. 1915 Canakkale Bridge was inaugurated on 18 March 2022 by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The towers of this bridge are given the official color of Turkey red, while the length of 2023 meters actually represents the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic in 2023, and the numerals 1915 next to the name of the bridge refer to the World War I battle fought at the same location against the United Kingdom and French navies.

Its two 318 Meter Tall red towers are built near both sides of the Dardanelles Strait and are 2 kilometers apart. Each tower’s 59,000 Ton Foundation is installed 40 Meters Below Sea Level, making the tower waterproof and earthquake-proof.

A total of 162,000 km of cable wire has been used between the two towers to keep the bridge firmly suspended in the air. An estimated 45,000 vehicles cross the bridge south of the Sea of Marmara every day, reducing the journey from Anatolia to the Dardanelles from 1 Hour to just 6 Minutes.

Akashi Kaikyo Bridge

The 1,991 Meter Long Akashi Kaiko Suspension Bridge, built over the Akashi Strait in Kobe, Japan, connects the city of Kobe to the island of Honshi. The construction of this mega structure was started in 1988 after thousands of deaths occurred on the island of Honshu due to frequent storms. Consisting of three spans and two hinged stiffen truss type structure, the bridge is built on foundations installed 60 Meters Deep in the sea, capable of handling tidal waves of up to 4.5 Meters per second.

Completed in 1998 after a 10 Year Construction Project, the bridge is built on the highway connecting the islands of Honshu and Shikoku. Prior to the construction of this bridge, passenger traffic across the Akashi Strait was facilitated by a ferry. This sea route has always been affected by gales, heavy rains, storms and other natural calamities, resulting in the loss of thousands of precious lives.
The total weight of this structure is 193,000 Tons, of which 181,000 Tons of Steel and 1.4 Million Cubic Meters of Concrete were used. This suspension bridge, which was built at a cost of about $4.3 billion, is 65 Meters Above Sea Level. A network of walkways namely Maiko Marine Promenade has also been built on the platforms under the bridge, which is 50 Meters above the water.

The bridge is also decorated with 1,700 Lights, and 10,000 Tourists and local visitors come every day to enjoy the light show at night, resulting in the name Pearl Bridge.

Yangsigang Bridge

The Yangsigang Bridge in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province is the world’s third double-deck suspension bridge, with a length of 1,700 Meters. Its two towers are 235 Meters High, while each of the two decks have 6 lanes for vehicles and pedestrian use.

Its upper deck is used for vehicles traveling at a speed of 80 km/h while the lower deck is used for vehicles traveling at a speed of 60 km/h.

On the upper deck of the bridge, there are 2 meters wide footpaths on both sides, with 8 sightseeing areas where pedestrians can enjoy the river scenery. While footpaths on each side of the lower deck are 2.5 meters wide.

Both the 36 meter long, 32.5 Meter Wide and 10 Meter High Decks are constructed with 49 Steel Girders to withstand severe storms. Built between 2015 and 2019 at a cost of $1.2 Billion on the Yangtze River, the megastructure connects Hanyang and Wuchang Districts.

Nansha Bridge

Located in China’s southern Guangdong Province, the Nansha Bridge holds the distinction of being the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world. The total length of this double suspension bridge built on the Pearl River is 12.89 km and the width is 40.5 meters.

It is also the world’s widest steel box girder suspension bridge accommodating 8 lanes for traffic. Its span is also the largest in the world at 1,688 Meters, while the structure can bear a maximum speed of 100 km/h.

The Nansha Suspension Bridge shortens the distance between Guangzhou and Dongguan by 10 kilometers, reducing the travel time between the two cities by half an hour.

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Its all-steel surface is anti-skid, ensuring its durability and traffic safety during rainy conditions. Built between 2013 and 2019 at a cost of $12 Billion, the bridge also marks the beginning of the Guangzhou-Longchuan expressway and has an estimated daily traffic of 50,000 Vehicles.

Xihoumen Bridge

Located in China’s Eastern Zhejiang Province, the Xihoumen Suspension Bridge is built over the country’s largest Archipelago Zhoushan.
The total span of this bridge connecting Jintang and Cezi Islands is 1,650 Meters. The base of the Xihoumen Suspension Bridge is installed at a Depth of 95 Meters in the sea, while the towers are 49.5 Meters High.

Its four-lane steel box girder is suspended in the air by 169 Parallel Wire Strands, while the 8 back cables have a total weight of 10,758 Tons. Built at a cost of $363 Million, the bridge was opened to traffic on test basis on December 25, 2009.

The length of the central span of this bridge is 1,650 Meters, while the length of the main bridge is 2.6 km and the total length is 5.3 km.

Great Belt Bridge

The sixth longest suspension bridge in the world has been built in Denmark between the two south-eastern islands of Zealand and Funon. It is commonly known as Great Belt Bridge, while its official name is the East Bridge.

The total length of this suspension bridge is 1,624 Meters and it connects to the West Bridge on Sprogo Island.

A four-lane vehicular road and a two-way railway tunnel have also been built over the Great Belt Suspension Bridge, which serves as the fastest route between eastern and western Denmark. With the construction of this mega project, the number of vehicles traveling between the two islands has increased to 35,000/Day, while the travel time has been reduced to 12 minutes.

The Great Belt Bridge or Eastern Bridge was built between 1991 and 1998 at a cost of $950 Million. The bridge was planned to be completed in time to become the world’s longest suspension bridge, but due to construction delays, Japan’s Akashi-Kaikyo suspension bridge opened just 2 months earlier.

Osman Gazi Bridge

After the longest suspension bridge in the world, Turkey also has the honor to have the seventh largest suspension bridge in the world. This bridge named Usman Ghazi was built between 2013 and 2016 across the Gulf of Izmit.

With a total length of 2,682 Meters, the Osman Gazi suspension bridge connects the northwestern city of Gebze with the southern province of Yalova. The bridge, 252 Meters Above Sea Level, was built at a cost of $1.2 Billion, reducing the distance between Izmir and Istanbul by 140 km and travel time by 1 hour. The bridge and connecting highway provide three lanes of traffic in each direction.

Yi Sun-sin Bridge

Located in Jeolla Province, South Korea, Yi Sun-sin Suspension Bridge has a total length of 2,260 Meters and a width of 27 Meters, while its height above sea level is 270 Meters.

Built in the southern part of the country between Kwangyang and Yeosu, this suspension bridge was constructed between 2007 and 2012. The length of the longest span of this suspension bridge is 1,545 Meters.

The towers of Yi Sun-sin Bridge, which are 272 Meters High, took 11 months to build, while the tower of Denmark’s Great Belt Bridge at 254 meters took 30 months to build.

Yi Sun-sin Suspension bridge is named after the Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin, born in 1545, who built the world’s first ironclad warship, the Turtle Ship.

Runyang Yangtze River Bridge

The Runyang Suspension Bridge is built over the Yangtze River in China’s eastern coastal province of Jiangsu. It is the ninth longest suspension bridge in the world, with a main span length of 1490 Meters. Its towers are 215 Meters above the water level and the deck is 39.2 Meters Wide, accommodating 6 traffic lanes and a narrow walkway at each outside edge for maintenance.

The suspension bridge was constructed between 2002 and 2005 at a cost of $700 Million. The two-part bridge is connected to an island in the river called Shiyezhou.

Second Dongtinghu Bridge

Dongtinghu Lake is the second largest lake in China, located in Hunan Province along the Hangzhou-Ruili Highway. Although a small suspension bridge to cross the lake was built in 2002, but after a few years it was deemed insufficient and a new project was decided, which is the largest mega project of suspension bridge in China so far.

The second Dongtinghu Suspension Bridge is 1,480 Meters Long, suspended in the air by two anchorages weighing over 630,000 Tons each, two pylons over 200 Meters High and two main cables of 2,600 Meters Long have been used to support this bridge, while 43,000 Tons of Steel truss girders have been used for the deck.

For these 1,480 meters long bridge the main cables are steeped in a metallic liquid at 450 Degree Celsius, while it is coated with a thin anti-corrosive that will protect it from adverse environmental conditions for over 100 years.

With the main span measuring 1,480 meters and a total length of 2,390 Meters, this magnificent suspension bridge was opened to general traffic after its completion in 2018.