In this collection you will get acquainted with the largest bridges in the world. But this will not be a simple comparison in terms of length, area or height. Every year more and more new bridges are being built, higher, longer and more unusual, therefore here I will talk about the record-breaking bridges, since each of them at one time was the longest, largest, highest, or original. All structures on this list will stand out in some way, which is why they are worth paying attention to. I ask you to take part in the discussions, express your point of view and supplement the selection with structures that are interesting in your opinion.
1. We will start with the longest road bridge at the moment - Hangzhou in China. It is the longest bridge crossing the ocean - it is 36 kilometers long. You can take a virtual tour of Hangzhou using the link above. In the coming years, bridges will be built that will break the record for this bridge, but it will forever remain one of the longest and largest structures of this kind. 
2. The highest viaduct at the moment is the Millot (Millau) viaduct in France. Its height is 343 meters, Millau is also a record holder thanks to the highest supports in the world, as well as the most tall towers bridge in the world 
3. No less legendary bridge - Golden Gate in San Francisco. For a long time (almost three decades), it was the largest suspension bridge in the world. He also holds the sad record for the number of suicides. Almost every month, some madman jumps from it into the water. 
5. The longest in Europe is the Vasco da Gama bridge in Portugal. Many people compare it to Hangzhou, but Vasco da Gama still looks more elegant and organic, although it is inferior in length 
6. No less famous is the Bosphorus Bridge connecting the continents between Europe and Asia. It connects the European and Asian parts of Istanbul 
7. A unique structure - the Japanese Pearl Bridge, built in the most seismically unstable zone of the planet. It is still the longest suspension bridge in the world, 3911 meters long. 
8. One of a kind, Banpo Fountain Bridge in Seoul has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest fountain on the bridge. The total length of the Lunnaya Rainbow fountain is 1140 meters 
9. It would not hurt to add a railway bridge to our review. Fort bridge in Scotland long time was the most big bridge in the world, it is also one of the first cantilever bridges in the world, as well as the first steel bridge in England. Doesn't the design look very impressive? 
10. One of the most recognizable landmarks in New York, along with the Statue of Liberty, is the Brooklyn Bridge. It is the first bridge in the world to be suspended on steel cables and also one of the first suspension bridges in the world. The length of the Brooklyn Bridge is 1825 meters 
13. Do you know that bridges are not only pedestrian, automobile, or railway? Meet the Magdeburg Water Bridge. This technical miracle a kilometer long is used by various vessels - barges, ferries, pleasure boats. This longest water bridge in the world connects two navigable canals - the Elbe-Havel and the Central German Canal 
14. Let's go to the other side of the world - to South America, namely to Brazil. Here is the only bridge in the world with an X-shaped support - the Oliveira Bridge. Thanks to the special shape of the masts, a height of 138 meters, 144 powerful steel cables and a chic LED backlight Oliveira has become one of the symbols of the city of São Paulo 
15. One of the oldest and most famous bridges in Italy, the symbol of Florence - Ponte Vecchio. The bridge is unusual in that it is built-up and inhabited by people, the famous Uffizzi art gallery is also located here. 
16. At first I wanted to include in this selection all the bridges of the famous architect Santiago Calatrava, as each of his creations can be safely called a masterpiece, but in this case the topic would grow to a huge size. Therefore, I just advise you to follow the link above and read in detail about each of the structures. If I choose from all of its bridges, then I would highlight the White Bridge (Subisuri) in Spain, built of glass and steel
17. Many people call St. Petersburg the city of bridges. I cannot but agree with this, there is really a huge number of beautiful and original bridges, about each of which we have a detailed article. In the general selection of the bridges of St. Petersburg, you will find detailed information about all structures
18. There is something to see in the capital of Russia, such bridges as Zhivopisny or Bagration can be safely included in this list. All the bridges of Moscow, as always, can be read in detail on our website 
19. An outstanding example of Iranian architecture and one of the most famous landmarks of Iran is the Khaju Bridge. It is the oldest bridge in the East, as iconic as the Ponte Vecchio for Europe. In addition to the function of the bridge, it also serves as a dam and water supply, bringing water to the gardens of the city of Isfahan. 
20. I would like to end the selection with two bridges from the most romantic city in the world - Venice. The most famous Venetian bridge is the Rialto, the oldest bridge in the city of love, supported by 12 thousand piles. This is one of the most popular architectural landmarks in Venice. 
The Bridge of Sighs is no less popular. The arched bridge in the Baroque style was thrown over the Palace Canal in the 17th century and became famous for its history, which you can learn about by opening the detailed article 
The bridge is one of the oldest inventions of mankind. First bridge primitive man- a log across the river, centuries later, bridges began to be built of stone, fastening them cement mortar... They served as a ferry across natural barriers and for the delivery of water. Over time, bridges have become not only a demonstration of the greatness of engineering, but also one of the beautiful creatures person. We bring to your attention record-breaking bridges in various parameters.
1. Bridge Si Du (Si Du) across the river over a deep gorge near Yesangguan, Hubei province, China. Most high bridge in the world - at 1627 feet (496m). The main span of the bridge is 2,952 feet (900 m). Photo: Eric Sakowski
2. The recently completed Baluarte Bridge is the tallest cable-stayed bridge in the world, connecting the northwest Mexican states Sinaloa, Durango and Mazatlan. It is 1,124 meters (3,687 feet) long and hangs at 400 meters (1,312 feet). The Beluarte Bridge was erected in honor of the bicentennial of Mexico's independence from Spain (1810). Photo: REUTERS / Alfredo Guerrero / Mexico Presidency
3. The Royal Gorge Bridge is located on the Arkansas River near Canon City, Colorado, USA. From 1929 to 2003, it held the record for the tallest bridge in the world, 955 feet (291m) high, span 938 feet (286m). Photo: Danita Delimont / Alamy
4. The world's highest Millau Bridge in France. It is a stunning cable structure with a single mast reaching 1125 feet (338 m). The bridge crosses the Tarn valley near Millau, and on cloudy days it looks like it floats in the clouds. The project was designed by the English architect Norman Foster, the cost of the bridge was £ 272 million and it was fully financed from private sources. French President Jacques Chirac called the bridge "a miracle of equilibrium". Photo: REUTERS
5. China recently built the longest, 26.4 km long sea bridge in the world (total length 42.5 km, but one branch is still unfinished). Read more about this bridge in mine. Photo: REX FEATURES
6. The longest bridge in the world outside Asia is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in southern Louisiana, USA. Almost 24 miles (38 km) long, it is the seventh longest bridge in the world. Photo: Corbis RF / Alamy
7. The longest bridge in the southern hemisphere is the Rio-Niteroi Bridge, which connects the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and Niteroi. Its length is 8.25 miles (13.290 km). Photo: StockBrazil / Alamy
8. The Vasco da Gama Bridge is the longest bridge in Europe (including viaducts) - 10.7 miles (17.2 km). It is a cable-stayed bridge surrounded by viaducts that block the Tagus River near Lisbon, Portugal. Vasco da Gama is the ninth longest bridge in the world. Photo: EPA
9. The longest single-span suspension bridge in the UK is the Humber Estuary bridge. Its construction was completed in 1981, and then its length of 1,410 meters was a record in the world.
10. The longest bridge in England is the Second Severn Crossing, which is about 3.2 km long, which is twice as long as the Humber Bridge. The bridge was thrown across the River Severn between England and Wales. The second stage was opened on June 5, 1996, it was built to increase bandwidth the original bridge, which was built in 1966. Photo: ANTHONY MARSHALL
11. The Sutong Yangtze River Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge with the longest main span in the world at 1,088 meters (3,570 feet). It connects two cities on opposite banks of the Yangtze River - Nantong and Changsha (China). Photo: ALAMY
12. The oldest bridge in the world is Pons Fabricius or Ponte dei Quattro Capi in Rome, Italy, which was built in 62 BC. Photo: Matthias Kabel / Wikipedia
The Tarn is a 380.6 km long river in the south of France. She doesn't have a very good reputation. The river is famous in the country for its catastrophic floods. The maximum water level rose to 17 meters in 1930. There are three cities on it: Montauban, Albi and Millau, the most interesting section of the river. An amazing attraction is located here - the Millau viaduct.
A cable-stayed bridge is thrown across the Tarn - the Millau viaduct. It is the tallest transport bridge in the world. It exceeds the height Eiffel tower by 20 meters, that is maximum height support legs reaches 343 meters. The viaduct, upon completion of construction, became the last link the A75 motorway connecting Paris and Beziers.
Prior to the construction of the bridge, the traffic flowed along Route 9, thereby creating a summer period vacations are big congestion. The congestion was also due to the fact that many tourists traveling to Spain chose this particular section of the road.
Construction of the A75 highway began back in 1975. It allowed to relieve the river valley, and complemented the overall French road network connecting northern Europe with Spain. Viaduct Millau was the final stage in the completion of the construction of the route.
It took 10 years and 3 years of construction to build such a bridge. This was due to the harsh climatic and geological conditions. The region has quite strong winds and the specific topography of the Tarn River valley.
The Millau Viaduct has a total length of 2.46 kilometers. The bridge is 32 meters wide. It stands on 7 supports, each of which, in turn, stands in 4 wells with a diameter of 5 meters and a depth of 15 meters. The roadbed is supported by 7 pylons, each 88.92 meters high. Attached to them are 154 cables with triple corrosion protection. The web has a weight of 36,000 tons and has 8 spans. The total weight of concrete structures is 206,000 tons.
Construction of the bridge began on October 16, 2001. The authors of the project were the French engineer Michel Virlogeau and the English architect Noman Foster. Construction lasted 38 months. On December 14, 2004, French President Jacques Chirac inaugurated the viaduct. The total amount spent on the construction was 400 million euros. The bridge is guaranteed for 120 years.
Viaduct Millau is a road structure covered by the 2001 highway finance reform. Thus, the bridge is a concession. Owned building French state and the construction and operating costs are borne by the concessionaire, while the toll revenue is received by the concessionaire. For 2010, the fare through the viaduct was 6 euros for passenger cars (in July and August 7.7 euros), 3.9 euros for motorcycles, 21.3 euros and 28.9 euros for two-axle and three-axle trucks.
The bridge has three world records to its credit: the height of the pylon together with the support reaches 343 meters; the highest roadbed in the world, 270 meters above the ground; the tallest towers in the world at 244.96 and 221.05 meters. Although many mistakenly argue and disagree with two of these records. The first is connected with a Chinese bridge in Hubei province, which surpassed the viaduct in height - 472 meters from the bridge to the bottom of the abyss. However, its supports are not located at the bottom of the gorge, but are located on plateaus and hills. While the Millau pillars are located at the bottom of the gorge, making it the tallest transport structure. The second disagreement concerns the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, USA. Its height from the ground to the roadway is 321 meters, while the viaduct is 270 meters. But the American bridge is a pedestrian bridge, not a transport bridge.
Part of the high-speed A75 motorway, this structure serves as the shortest route from Paris through the city of Clermont-Ferrand to the Mediterranean Sea, in particular to the city of Béziers, which is located in the south of the state, 15 km from the sea coast. Before the construction of the Viaduct road traffic between southern France, Spain and the rest of the French cities, running through the Tarn River valley, had some problems - during the holiday season, the section suffered from congestion and was filled with congestion for many kilometers. Over time, the emergence of a bridge over the valley became the only way out of the situation, which would shorten the path by 100 km, reduce the load during the holiday season, and also protect the city of Millau from pollution caused by continuous traffic jams.
The first ideas for the construction of the Viaduct began to be discussed in 1987. In July 1996, a jury decided to erect a multi-span cable-stayed bridge, as proposed by a consortium of French engineer Michel Virlogeau and Norman Foster, an architect from England. The project was implemented by the French design company "Eiffage", which includes the workshops of Gustave Eiffel, who built the famous Eiffel Tower. By 2001, a large-scale project had already been formed and its implementation began. Initially, huge supports were erected, together with temporary spacers to simplify installation a little. The engineers connected the roadbed from both sides at once - attaching the sections one after the other using specialized equipment.
The bridge construction was erected for almost three years - its official opening took place on December 14, 2004.
An engineering wonder of the world is a roadbed 2460 meters long and 32 meters wide, standing on seven concrete supports, one of which is almost 20 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower. In total, the bridge structure has eight spans, two outer ones are 204 meters long, and the six central ones are 342 meters long. The bridge is made in the form of a semicircle - its radius is 20 kilometers. The total weight of the steel deck of the Viaduct is 36,000 tons. On both sides of the highway, a special screen is installed to protect motorists and the Millau Viaduct from strong gusts of wind.
The state of the French record-breaking bridge is regularly monitored using a variety of sensors measuring tension, temperature, pressure, acceleration, etc. Initially, the speed on the Viaduct Millau highway was limited within the standard limits - up to 130 km / h, but soon it was reduced to 90 km / h in order to reduce the likelihood of accidents, because drivers often slowed down to enjoy the surrounding scenery.
The construction cost of the tallest transport bridge in the world was approximately 400 million euros.
The main competitor of the Mijo Viaduct for the title of the highest bridge on the planet is the Royal Bridge, located in the Colorado Gorge in the USA, which lies over the Arkansas River and has pedestrian status. Its height is 321 meters, which makes it the tallest pedestrian bridge in the world.
Engineers assume that the minimum lifespan of the Viaduct is 120 years. Held annually verification work examining the fastening of bolts, cables, condition appearance so that the bridge is always in excellent condition.
Fare passenger car on the Millau bridge highway in the summer (July-August) is 9.10 euros, during the rest of the year - 7.30 euros, for cargo - 33.40 euros all year round, for motorcycles - 4.60 euros all year round.
V modern world there are many different structures. Among them are towers beautiful houses, monuments, monuments and, of course, bridges. The latter are among the most important strategic structures in any country. For a long time bridges were low and almost always only made of wood. However, now engineers are able to create structures of any structure and height: railroad, suspended and conventional.
The tallest bridge in the world
The viaduct is located near the town of Millau. It is believed to be the tallest bridge in the world. France is very proud of him. The bridge structure passes through a picturesque place - the Tarn river valley. The transport bridge provides an opportunity to easily overcome the path from Paris straight to the city of Béziers. Before its creation, it was very difficult to get to Beziers. Citizens had to go along the highway number 9. At the end of August, there was always high traffic traffic, which contributed to large traffic jams, which sometimes dragged on for tens of kilometers. It is used not only by the French, but also by many tourists from others. neighboring countries... Most often, for example, from Spain. Tourists choose the Millau Viaduct because it follows almost straight ahead and is free to travel.
Bridge creator
The creator is the famous French master Michel Virlojot. Even before the creation of the viaduct, he was engaged in the development of bridges. For example, the famous Normandy Bridge, which is the second longest after the Miillau Viaduct, was also built by the talented master Virlojot.
The bridge was constructed in 2004. Its highest point is 345 meters. So, about the Millau viaduct we can rightfully say: "The highest bridge in the world."
Highest railway bridge
The bridge builders did not bypass the railways for goods and passenger flights. Thus, the tallest railway bridge in the world is being built in India. It will be 1,320 meters long and almost 360 meters high. This structure will pass through the magnificent Chinab River in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The construction was initiated by the minister railways India. According to him, the construction of the bridge will save a lot of time and money for the transportation of goods and passengers. It will cost almost $ 100 million to build. The engineers promise that it will be ready by 2016 and will be able to last at least 120 years. Its construction is necessary, as it will connect the two districts of the country. Without it, getting from the Jammu region to the Baramulla region is very difficult. So, the railway bridge over the Chinab River is the second highest bridge in the world and the first among the railway ones.
Highest suspension bridge
So, the next tallest bridge in the world is a suspended structure in Japan.
The Akashi-Kaike Bridge is famous for being in the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest suspension bridge in the world. This structure is located at an altitude of 2000 meters above the chic Akashi Strait. The Akashi-Kaike bridge structure is capable of withstanding winds of up to 80 meters per second. The Akashi Strait connects the city of Kobe and the city of Awaji. Also the highest suspension bridge in the world, Akashi, is one of the three highways between the islands of Honshu and Shikoku.
The Akashi-Kaike suspension bridge has a total length of almost four thousand meters. It was opened for operation in 1998. They began to build it back in 1988. The reason for its construction is very tragic. The thing is that before the bridge appeared, the inhabitants of Japan had to sail on a ferry crossing. But this strait was often prone to severe storms. Thus, in 1955, two large ferries were caught in a severe storm. As a result, almost 200 children died. After this terrible tragedy, the authorities decided to build the structure. However, the construction of the highest bridge in the world began only 30 years later, in 1988. For 10 years it was completely ready.
It is worth noting the high professionalism of the engineers, because it is not only difficult, but also very dangerous to build such a large-scale structure in this strait. However, the specialists fully coped with their task. Now, in a short period of time, residents can absolutely safely overcome the capricious Akashi Strait.
So, in the century complex structures professionals high level do everything to make our journey easier and safer.