Human capabilities and imagination practically know no boundaries, and numerous architectural objects serve as proof of this. A bridge is the most common crossing over a body of water or a ravine. But, who said that such a structure cannot be unique?
Danyang-Kunshan Viaduct
It is the longest railway bridge in the world. The object is listed in the Guinness Book of Records and is part of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway.
The bridge is located in eastern China, between the cities of Shanghai and Nanjing.
The total length of the structure is 164 kilometers and 800 meters. At the same time, only 9 kilometers of the route runs through water bodies, mainly lakes, the largest of which is Yancheng.
Despite the grandeur of the bridge, it was built in 3 years, from 2008 to 2011. Construction was simultaneously carried out on both sides, and more than 10 thousand workers were involved in the work.
The volume of building materials spent on the construction of the bridge can be compared with the annual size of the sale of a large enterprise. Only concrete took about 3 million cubic meters, and steel - half a million tons. Financing of the construction was carried out at the expense of the state budget and resulted in $ 10 billion.
Highway Bang Na
Thailand has the longest bridge over the earth. Its length is 54 kilometers.
In the literal sense, it’s hard to call this bridge a crossing; it’s more correct to say that it is a highway raised above the ground.
The facility is located in the capital of Thailand - Bangkok. It has 3 lanes for traffic in both directions. The width of the bridge is about 60 meters.
In comparison with the Danyang-Kunshan Viaduct, a bridge was built for 5 years, but only $ 1 billion was spent on its construction.
Bang Na Highway really helped to cope with traffic jams, but you have to pay to get there in comfort. There is also a free analogue of the bridge, a ground road.
Ferry across the sea
The longest bridge in the world over water should be commissioned in 2018. A construction is being built in China and should connect the three major cities of the country:
- Hong Kong;
- Macau;
- Zhuhai.
The total length of 55 kilometers, 7 of which are in the underground tunnel. Partially, the bridge consists of separate cable-stayed bridges and artificial islands, which will make it possible to realize the patency of bulky sea transport. According to the statements of the architect and contractor, all environmental standards have been taken into account, which will not harm the marine fauna.
Construction began back in 2009, by the middle of last year, all the main stages of construction had been completed, and about 11 billion dollars had been spent. The opening is delayed due to the fact that the authorities can not decide how border control will be implemented, because Hong Kong and Macau are cities with a special regime.
Hangzhou bay
While the 55-kilometer bridge is not in operation, the Hangzhou Bay crossing, also located in China, is considered the longest bridge over the water. The bridge lies over the East China Sea and the Qiantang River, its length is 36 kilometers.
However, the crossing is famous for others, first of all, for its S-shaped form. And in the very middle of the bridge there is an island, with a hotel, an observation deck and a restaurant.
They began to build a crossing in 2003 and finished in 6 years. About 1.42 billion dollars were spent on the construction of the bridge, of which they even managed to attract 18 million from non-governmental organizations.
According to the architect, the crossing can withstand an earthquake (7 points), and this was achieved due to the cable-stayed structure, which is supported by cables.
Swiss pedestrian miracle
In Switzerland (canton of Valais) built the longest bridge in the world for pedestrians. This is a steel suspension structure between two cities:
- Grena;
- Zermatt.
Its length is 494 meters, its height is 80 meters and its width is 65 cm. It was created mainly for tourists who were able to walk and explore the beauty of the local landscape. They erected the building in just 2.5 months and spent only 730 thousand francs.
Russia
The country has a huge variety of crossings, of various shapes and sizes, for cars, trains and pedestrians, among which there are real champions. But, until the construction of the Kerch bridge has been completed, the leader across the Kama River is considered the leader.
The Crimean bridge is scheduled for opening in December 2019, and it will become part of the two A-290 and O-260 motorways. The planned length is 18.1 kilometers (with railways), the length of the automobile part is 16.9 kilometers. The ferry will have 6 lanes, 4 for cars and 2 for trains.
Crossing the Kama River
So far, the longest bridge in Russia is located in the Republic of Tatarstan, not far from the village of Sorochy Gory. Until the time of construction, people crossed the river in boats or on ice, about 7 kilometers.
Plans for the construction of the crossing were still with Nicholas II. The construction was also in the plans of the authorities of the Soviet Union. But they built it only in 2002. The length of the bridge is 13.967 kilometers.
Ulyanovsk ferry
The second place in the ranking of the longest bridges in Russia is occupied by the Ulyanovsk ferry. Its length is 19, 970 kilometers. It is located on the Kuibyshev reservoir and connects the left and right banks of the city of Ulyanovsk. The construction was erected in 2009 in a completely unusual way, starting work in the middle, which allowed them to finish a year earlier than planned.
