Throughout the history of mankind, we have seen that many great works of architecture have been made. Bridges are also made to connect two different places together. Connecting two important places and reducing travel time utilizing rail and road are usually the main reasons behind the construction of a bridge. So, let’s take a look at the top 10 longest bridges in the world and where they are located.
1. Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge
The Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge is the longest bridge in the world. The construction of the bridge was started in 2006 and was completed in 2010. However, the bridge was opened in 2011. The total length of the bridge is 164.8 kilometers or 102.4 miles. Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge is in the Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway which connects Shanghai with Nanjing in the province of Jiangsu.
The bridge is located in the delta of the Yangtze River and it runs parallel with the river from 8 to 80 km. It also runs over open water for about 9 km in Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou. The construction and design of the bridge were done by ‘CRBC’ which is a subsidiary of the Chinese government-funded company “China Communications Construction Company”.
During the construction of the Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge, about 10,000 people were employed and the total cost of construction of the bridge was about $8.2 billion. The Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge is the holder of the Guinness World Record for the longest bridge in the world.
2. Changhua–Kaohsiung Viaduct
The second longest bridge in the world is “Changhua–Kaohsiung Viaduct” located in Taiwan. The bridge is a viaduct for the High-Speed Railway of Taiwan. The total length of this bridge is 157.31 km or 97.75 miles. Changhua–Kaohsiung Viaduct starts from Baguashan in Changhua County and ends in Zuoying District in Kaohsiung.
The bridge was completed in 2004, and was opened for operation in 2007, and in 2012, over 200 million people traveled over it. The viaduct was designed in such a way that it could withstand high seismic waves. The main reason behind the construction of the Changhua–Kaohsiung Viaduct in such a way is because the country of Taiwan is in the seismic line and the plates move frequently.
There are 4 stations in this viaduct Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan. Moreover, whenever a seismic event happens, the trains stop running in this viaduct, and it is built in such a way that no catastrophic damage happens.
3. Kita-Yaitu Viaduct
The Kita-Yaitu Viaduct is a Railway bridge that was completed in 1982. The bridge has been the longest bridge in the world since then before being overtaken by the above two bridges. The bridge is in the high-speed Japanese Railway system Shinkansen. The two main cities of Japan, Kita and Yaitu are connected by this bridge. The length of the Kita-Yaitu Viaduct is 114.42 Km long.
4. Tianjin Grand Bridge
The fourth longest bridge in the world is Tianjin Grand Bridge. The bridge is a part of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway. The construction of the bridge was completed in 2010 and it was opened in 2011. This viaduct bridge runs between Langfang and Qingxian and is 113.7 km or 70.6 miles long.
The Tianjin Grand Bridge was designed and constructed so that the construction of Beijing Shanghai high-speed railway could avoid all the structures and other infrastructures in the route. Moreover, the construction of the bridge took less time than what was required to construct on the land. One more thing that contributed to the construction of the bridge was that bridge required less land to be acquired to make it efficient as well.
Each girder of the Tianjin Grand Bridge is 32 m long and weighs about 860 tons. The girders were built in two different workplaces and were brought to the installation site and then were carefully placed.
5. Cangde Grand Bridge
The fifth longest bridge in the world is the Cangde Grand Bridge which is also located in China. The construction of the bridge was completed in 2010, and like many other infrastructural projects, this Bridge was also designed and built by companies of the Chinese government.
The bridge is designed to withstand high-magnitude earthquakes as well as other common natural catastrophes like hurricanes and floods in the rainy season. This bridge is also a part of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway.
The Cangde Grand Bridge is 105.81 kilometers long and in the total length of the bridge, 3092 piers are there. The construction of this bridge has been of great importance as the train travel time across Macau, Hong Kong, and mainland China has been reduced to just 30 minutes. Previously, this same route used to take three hours and thirty minutes.
6. Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge
The Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge is the sixth-longest bridge in the world. It is also the 4th longest Chinese Bridge. The construction of the bridge was completed in 2008 however remained unused till 2010. The Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge is part of the Zhengzhou–Xi’an High-Speed Railway and connects the cities of Zhengzhou and Xi’an. The total length of the bridge is 79.73 kilometers or 49.54 miles.
The Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge throughout its entire length has crossed the Wei River twice, and other rivers like the ling river, Xi River, Loufu River, and Shi Di River along with other rivers as well. In the construction of this bridge, 2,300,000 cubic meters of concrete along with 45,000 tonnes of steel were used. Moreover, 10,000 workers built it as well.
7. Bang Na Expressway
The Bang Na Expressway is the first bridge on this list for automobiles. It is the 7th longest bridge in the world and the longest for the movement of vehicles. The bridge is a toll road bridge and it runs above the national highway 34 Thailand. The total length of the bridge is 55 km or 34 miles and it is an elevated 6-lane highway.
The Bang Na Expressway is owned by the Expressway Authority of Thailand and was designed by the late Louis Burger. The idea of the Bang Na Expressway was put forward by the Expressway and Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand.
The designer of the column and superstructure was Jean M. Muller whereas the alignment and foundation were done by Asian Engineering Consultants. The Bang Na Expressway was built by the joint venture of Bilfinger & Berger and Ch. The bridge was completed in 2000.
8. Beijing Grand Bridge
The Beijing Grand Bridge holds the eighth position in the list of the top 10 longest bridges in the world as of 2024. This bridge is a part of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed Railway. The construction of the Beijing Grand Bridge was completed in 2010 however it became functional in 2011.
This is the fourth bridge in this list which is part of China’s Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway. The presence of so many bridges in China in this list of the top 10 longest bridges of the world shows how much the government of China focuses on the development and upgradation of infrastructure.
The length of the Beijing Grand Bridge is 48.15 km long or 29.92 miles. Like all the other major infrastructural projects this bridge was also designed and constructed by a subsidiary of the Chinese government-funded company. Since the opening of the bridge, it has been an important part of the Beijing Shanghai High-Speed Railway connecting both the major cities of China.
9. Metro Manila Skyway System
The Metro Manila Skyway System of Metro Manila, in the Philippines, is the ninth longest bridge in the world. This elevated highway is the main expressway of Metro Manila and it connects the north and south Luzon Expressway. This bridge was opened in 1999 when the first stage of the project was completed.
Over the years the length of the viaduct bridge has been increasing with the completion of other stages. Currently, the Metro Manila Skyway System is 39.2 km long or 24.4 miles. The major areas through which the bridge passes are Caloocan, Quezon City, Manila, Makati, Pasay, Taguig, Parañaque, and Muntinlupa.
The Metro Manila Skyway System is a tolled elevated expressway and the vehicles are divided into three classes to collect taxes. The operations and maintenance of the Skyway were done by PNCC Skyway Corporation from 1999 till 2007. However, in 2008 Skyway Operation and Maintenance Corporation took over and the traffic safety and management, maintenance, and tolls were controlled.
10. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the 10th longest bridge in the world that crosses Lake Pontchartrain, in Louisiana, USA. The total length of the bridge is 38.44 km or 23.83 miles long making it the longest continuous bridge over water in the world. The causeway was 2 lanes when it opened in 1956. Moreover, in 1969 the parallel part of the causeway which was northbound opened as well.
In 1969, after the second stretch was completed Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest bridge over water till 2011. The construction cost of the first stretch of the bridge was $46 million which is equivalent to $360 million in 2021. The second stretch needed only $30 million which was equivalent to $170 million according to 2021. The maintenance and operation of the bridge are currently controlled by Causeway Corporation.
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