The 10 Best Bridges In The World - And there it is, the first bridge crossing, and no one even made a note of it. Ever since that unrecorded moment, we’ve pushed at the limits of engineering and design, and improved on the dead tree over the river pretty much every time. To the point where we can put a bridge almost anywhere. We’ve got bridges that span rivers, that traverse mountain ranges, bridges over oceans, that connect countries, soar above jungles, and in the case of the Bosphorous bridge, that stick one continent to another. Sometimes, they seem almost timeless, transcendent. One of them is older than Christ. Let’s face it, we couldn’t live without bridges. So we’ve gathered together the most amazing bridges in the world that we could find. Just for you.
1. GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, SAN FRANCISCO
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| The Golden Gate Bridge |
The iconic bridge synonymous with San Francisco is considered by some to be the most beautiful bridge in the world. The American Society of Civil Engineers has named it one of the Wonders of the Modern World (though honestly, they may be a bit biased). Built in 1937, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world until 1964, and no, we’re not done with the superlatives yet. It is the most photographed bridge. At the time it was built, San Francisco’s growth was below average. A bridge connection to the other bay communities would help to solve that. Many experts said it couldn’t be done, claiming that the Bay’s extreme winds and smothering fogs would prevent construction and operation. [Details]
2. AKASHI KAIKYO BRIDGE, JAPAN
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| Akashi Kaikyo Bridge |
Before the bridge was built – it’s currently the longest suspension bridge in the world – you’d have had to board a ferry to get from Kobe to Iwaya. This worked out until 1955, when two ferries sank and 168 people were killed. That’s when the bridge was planned. Construction took twelve years, and it was completed in 1998. In 1995 when only the two towers were in place, the Great Hanshin earthquake moved them further apart, so the span had to be increased by three feet. [Details]
3. PONT DU GARD, FRANCE
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| Pond Du Gard |
Because the citizens of Nimes were getting a bit parched and the whiff of body odor unbearable, even for 50 AD, the Romans tapped into an underground spring at Uzes some 31 miles away. The problem was you couldn’t very well walk 31 miles every time you wanted a drink. So they built an underwater aqueduct. This worked out until they reached the Gardon River, which is why the Pont du Gard aqueduct bridge was built. It’s remarkably precise engineering, with a difference in height of one inch from one end to the other. Some two thousand years later it’s still standing. The spring is also still there. [Details]
4. ROEBLING SUSPENSION BRIDGE, OHIO
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| Roebling Suspension Bridge |
The Roebling Suspension links Ohio and Kentucky over the Ohio River, and was built by John Roebling, the architect of the Brooklyn Bridge. This was the first draft, his practice round, a free throw, the etch-a-sketch construction for the iconic build that lay ahead. [Details]
5. ROLLING BRIDGE, LONDON
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| Rolling Bridge |
Designed as an experiment more than anything, the bridge is divided into eight linked sections and uses hydraulics built into the handrail to curl up and over until its ends meet, allowing boats to pass through below. To see it in action, visit London’s Grand Union Canal on a Friday at noon, when it rolls up like a Persian rug. [Details]
6. JUSCELINO KUBITSCHEK BRIDGE, BRAZIL
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| Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge |
An asymmetrical bridge named after former Brazilian president Juscelino Kubitschek. The bridge is designed with three steel support arches leaping from side to side of the bridge, said to highlight Brasilia’s stunning sunsets. Couldn’t you just enjoy the sunsets without a bridge? [Details]
7. BROOKLYN BRIDGE, NEW YORK
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| Brooklyn Bridge |
When it opened in 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge became the longest suspension bridge in the world, some 50 percent longer than any previously built. Six days after opening, a rumor that it was going to collapse caused panic and a stampede that resulted in the death of at least twelve people. They weren’t the first. Around thirty people died during the bridge’s thirteen-year construction, including its original architect, John Roebling. [Details]
8. MILLAU VIADUCT, FRANCE
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| Millau Viaduct |
Built as a solution to holiday traffic between Paris and Spain, the Millau Viaduct spans the River Tarn valley and is ranked as one of the greatest feats of engineering, ever. Just don’t mention this to the American Society of Civil Engineers. They’re liable to lose their civility. It received an Outstanding Structure Award for its work, which is pretty much the Oscars of bridge building. It keeps the trophy on the mantelpiece overlooking the river. [Details]
9. GATESHEAD MILLENIUM BRIDGE, ENGLAND
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| Gateshead Millenium Bridge |
This award-winning tilt-bridge that connects the cities of Gateshead and Newcastle over the River Tyne uses a system of hydraulic rams that pivot the walkway so that boats can pass through. The process takes less than five minutes, and looks like a giant eyelid slowly opening and closing. Just as impressive is that it was installed already built, with the help of the Asian Hercules II, Europe’s largest floating crane. [Details]
10. HANGZHOU BAY BRIDGE, CHINA
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| Hangzhou Bay Bridge |
If you’re going to build a bridge, you may as well make it a challenge and put it in a place prone to earthquakes and typhoons, one that has some of the strongest tidal forces on the planet. And probably you’d also want to make it the longest ocean-crossing bridge in the world. That’s the Hangzhou Bay Bridge. So why did they do it? It cuts 75 miles off a trip between Jiaxing and Nibo, and three hours off travel time between Nibo and Shanghai. There’s a service center in the middle called Land Between The Sea and Sky where you can kick back and watch the tides, among other things. Like use the bathroom. [Details]
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