Bridging The Distance: Most Spectacular Bridges

This bridge is one of the most photographed bridges in the world. It is not the tallest, the highest, or the longest bridge in the world. But it is one of the most breath-taking landmarks. Hollywood industry takes the biggest credits for promoting Golden Gate bridge, and for bringing it closer to the world!
Golden Gate bridge was built in 4 years, and it was opened for traffic in 1937. Linking San Francisco with Marin County the Golden Gate Bridge is a 1.7 mile-long suspension bridge that can be crossed by car, on bicycles or on foot. Now this is the most important landmark of San Francisco. On the bridge, there are few viewing areas, perfect places for watching the city, boats passing under, or fireworks over the city of San Francisco.
It is unaviodable part of sight-seeing tours in SF. Lots of double-decked buses stop here to let tourists experience unforgeting experience.
When built, spectacular bridge, Golden Gate was the bridge with longest main span in the world. It stood on that rank for 27 year. It is now bridge with second longest span in USA.
At the fort-point (south) there is National Historic Monument since 1970. The structure, built using bricksoriginates from 19th senture. It was built by Spain for Civil war purpose.
The bay is known for fast winds blowing from the ocean, and oftenly tick fog in morning hours. Fog gives it special look, hense my choice of the photo. Bridge is also popular destination for suicidal people. Bridge lanes are 75m above the water, so the impact having in mind strong wind, and cold water is in most case deadly.
Bridge is 2,7 km long, and the highest point is 211m at the top of the pylon.
This bridge is true representative of this Bridging The Distance: Most Spectacular Bridges lens.

Stari most (old bridge) od Mostar (city in Bosnia and Herzegovina) was built in year 1566. It was built of Tenelija stone (limestone), thus the light color of it. At the time of cuntruction, only few believed it would be possible to build bridge so high above thw water with such a thin skyline using only huge stone blocks, with no columns to support it.

The city name Mostar was derivated from the word most (bridge). That tells us much about the significance of this bridge for the city.

Its architectural beauty and value were to be found in the simplicity and in the essentiality of the structure: the shapes of the bridge were not linked to any time, to any style and to any fashion, in a way that the bridge of Mostar has always been admired as symbol.

During the time, surroundings changed a lot. Few fortifications were added later. So, now it is not only the bridge that visitors are interested with, but also the whole complex of fortifications next to it.

Another old bridge Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) was built in 996 and after being destroyed in floods few times, it finally was rebuilt in 1345. Since then its look hasn't changed.
The bridge is bridging river Arno at its narrowest point. It has three arches.

During 15th century most of the shops on the bridge were owned by butchers. Nowadays, most of the shops are jeweliers. During the World War II it was the onl y bridge in the city that survived bombing by the nazi army. On both side of the bridge, alongsides river banks, there is a fence with lots of locks on it. Those are the symbols of love comitment, young couples leave there and throw the key in the river of Arno. It is believed that their love will last as long as locks stay on the fence.

After it was built in 1997, it was the 2nd largest suspension bridge in the world. Today is the 7th largest suspension bridge in the world, but it is still ranked as number one suspension bridge that carries both train and road traffic.

It has two decks, upper deck carries a road traffic and has six road lines. A lower deck besides train tracks has few shelters for a passangers that are caught in the bridge during strong wind ( especially typhoons).
It is bridging the distance between the islands Tsing Yi and Ma Wan, hence the name of the bridge.

Lenght of the longest span of the bridge is 1, 377 m. Bridge width is 41 m and the distance of the decks from the water is 61m. Height of the Tsing Ma bridge is 206 m.

Those living in the Gilgit-Baltistan of Northern Pakistan were cut off from the rest of Pakistan until 1978 due to the inpassable terrain and lack of roads. You could take a small airplane, but that was reserved for only the richest citizens.

For everyone else, the only way to travel was by walking across mountain passes to Rawalpindi. In 1978, the Karakoram Highway was completed and the region was connected, but inter-region travel remains as difficult as it was 100 years ago.

Everyday's experience of traveling through this region includes the rickety cable and plank bridges which cross Northern Pakistan's mountain streams and rivers. One of these is the Hussaini Borit rope bridge, crossing Borit Lake in the Upper Hunza. This hanging bridge is both long and poorly maintained. Many planks are missing, and strong winds shake the bridge as you cross it. It does little to ease nerves that a previous, older, broken bridge hangs in tatters next to the "new" one.

Despite its dangerous looks, this, one of the most spectacular bridges is a relatively safe bridge and has become something of a tourist attraction, with hikers testing their nerves as they carefully work their way across.

The Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is the longest over-sea road bridge ever built. This bridge was built in 2011, after 4 years of construction and 1,5 billion dollars spent on it. It connects China's eastern port city of Qingdao to the offshore island Huangdao. It is 41 meter wide, and has 5000 pillars.
There are 3 road line in both directions, and underwater tunnel. Length is 42km.

This spectacular bridge, world's recorder, was built by two teams from both sides, and it they linked two sides of the bridge with remarkable precision. One engineer said: 'The computer models and calculations are all very well but you can't relax until the two sides are bolted together.

This bridge is not the longest in the world, though. It is the longest bridge carrying road traffic. There is an other, train bridge, that is 161km long. It's name is The Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge, and you will be able to read about it in this lens.

Gateshead Millenium Bridge (GMB) is the world's first and only tilt bridge.It is also known as "Blinking Eye Bridge" and "Winking Eye Bridge", due to its shape and tilting method. Depending on wind speed, the bridge rotates through the full 40 degrees from closed to open. The bridge was designed by Gifford and partners with Wilkinson Eyre.
It is pedestrians and cyclists bridge, which alows small ships to pass underneath because the six hydraulic rams can rotate the bridge.
It was opened on 17 September 2001 to the public and was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 7 May 2002.
GMB is bridging the river Tyne, between Gateshead's Quays and Quayside of Newcastle. Its longest span is 105m. Total lenght is 126m and width is 8m.

I am sure you will agree with me that this winking eye bridge is one of the most spectacular bridges. Lets wink it back! ;)

Ada bridge has been build in 2011. That was the greatest bridge construction project in Europe in last decade. It is planned to be part of the future Belgrade Inner City Semi-Ring Road. It has three road lanes and a tram (light rail) track in each direction. At the time of construction, in year 2010, Discovery channel made a documentary on this project, admiting it to be one of the biggest architectual and construction projects in the world.

One thing is for sure: the bridge is beautiful, traffic releasing solution for Belgrade, city with great traffic issues. The bridge is cable-stayed design with single pylon. It ha 84 cables carrying 8600 tons of bridge steel construction.The bridge is designed to significantly reduce traffic passing through the city centre and the older Gazela Bridge.

Specifications:

Total length of Ada bridge is 996 meters,
width 45,05m,
height 220m,
clearance bellow is 20m,
longest span is 376m.

The Bridge on the Drina (Na Drini cuprija) was built in period between 1571. and 1577. That was in the period of ottoman occupation of Balkans. Today, Bridge on the Drina is one of the national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina and it is protected by UNESCO as world's heritage. In 16th century it was conection between western Balkans and Istanbul, capital of Ottoman imperia.

Construction of the bridge was given to one of the greatest architects of that time, main architect of Empire: Mimar Siman. It was endowment of Mehmed-Pasa Sokolovic.

In the middle of the bridge, there is one expansion (kapija-sofa), place for people to meet and enjoy the view. This bridge is far more famous for the book "Na Drini Cuprija" (The Bridge On The Drina), written by Ivo Andric. He won Nobel Prize award for this book 1961. The book was translated in almost all world languages. It tell the story about the history of the bridge and people living in these countries.

It is characteristic of the apogee of Turkish monumental architecture and civil engineering. It numbers 11 masonry arches, with spans of 11 to 15 metres, and an access ramp at right angles with four arches on the left bank of the river. The 179.5 meter is the length of the bridge.

Maybe this bridge is not bridging some great distance, but it is surely one of the most spectacular bridges arround the world.

Royal Gorge Bridge is bridge in the Royal Gorge Park in Colorado. Its deck is 291 m above the Arkansas river. This piece of art is suspension bridge, and it was the highest bridge in the world for 72 years.
Royal Gorge Bridge was build in 1929 (from June to November), and at the time it was the highest bridge in the world. It is 384 m long bridge, 5,5 m wide and it is suspended by 46 m high towers.
The bridge was never built for traffic, but only to serve as tourist attraction. Since it has been built, Royal Gorge Bridge was the most visited tourist attraction in Colorado.

Aside from the specifications (read above), this bridge became famous for one more thing: suicidal jumpers. Thie wasn't rare fashion in last century. During last 2 decades, patrols have been set on the bridge to prevent such things happen ever again.