Famous Bridges of the World

Tap to Read ➤ Poushali Ganguly

The main purpose of a bridge being built is to connect two areas that are otherwise inaccessible. As such, over the decades, man has built scores of these bridges all over the world, which are nothing less than technological marvels.

Bridges are marvels of engineering. They have been playing a key role in the development of relations, trade, and commerce between different nations and regions, and have always remained true to their name - bridging the gaps wherever required.

Aesthetic to the eye, some bridges attract millions of tourists; others serve as trade routes; yet others stand as symbols of rich history and tradition, while many make inaccessible regions of Earth, accessible.

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE San Francisco, U.S.A. Opened: May 27, 1937 Length: 2,737.4 m Material: Steel Designed by: J. Strauss, I. Morrow, C. Ellis

New York City, U.S.A. Opened: May 24, 1883 Length: 1,825 m Material: Limestone, Granite, Rosendale Cement Designed by: John Augustus Roebling BROOKLYN BRIDGE

London, England Opened: June 30, 1894 Length: 244 m Material: Concrete, Steel, Granite, Portland Stone Designed by: Sir Horace Jones, Sir John Wolfe Barry TOWER BRIDGE

Sydney, Australia Opened: March 19, 1932 Length: 1,149 m Material: Steel Designed by: Dorman Long and Co. Ltd. SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE

Millau-Creissels, France Opened: December 16, 2004 Length: 2,460 m Material: Steel, Concrete Designed by: Michel Virlogeux, Norman Foster MILLAU VIADUCT

Istanbul, Turkey Opened: October 30, 1973 Length: 1,560 m Material: Steel Designed by: Sir Gilbert Roberts, William Brown BOSPHORUS BRIDGE

Rome, Italy Opened: 134 AD Length: 130 m Material: Stone Designed by: Demetriano PONTE SANT'ANGELO

Seoul, South Korea Opened: June 25, 1982 Length: 1,495 m Material: Concrete Designed by: Seoul Metropolitan Infrastructure HQ. BANPO BRIDGE

Awaji Island/Kobe, Japan Opened: April 5, 1998 Length: 3,911 m Material: Steel, Concrete Designed by: Satoshi Kashima AKASHI KAIKYŌ BRIDGE

Florence, Italy Opened: 1345 Length: 90 m Material: Stone Designed by: Taddeo Gaddi PONTE VECCHIO

Gateshead, England Opened: September 17, 2001 Length: 126 m Material: Steel Designed by: Keith Brownlie GATESHEAD MILLENNIUM BRIDGE

London, England Opened: May 24, 1862 Length: 252 m Material: Cast Iron, Granite Designed by: Thomas Page, Charles Barry WESTMINSTER BRIDGE

Venice, Italy Opened: 1591 Length: 48 m Material: Stone Designed by: Antonio da Ponte RIALTO BRIDGE

San Rafael, U.S.A. Opened: September 1, 1956 Length: 8,851.3 m Material: Concrete, Steel Designed by: N.A. RICHMOND-SAN RAFAEL BRIDGE

Seville, Spain Opened: 1992 Length: 250 m Material: Steel Designed by: Santiago Calatrava PUENTE DEL ALAMILLO

Cañon City, Colorado, U.S.A Opened: November, 1929 Length: 380 m Material: Steel, Wood Designed by: George F. Cole ROYAL GORGE BRIDGE

Denmark/Sweden Opened: July 1, 2000 Length: 7,845 m Material: Concrete Designed by: Klaus Falbe Hansen, Jorgen Nissen, N. Gimsing, G. Rotne ØRESUND BRIDGE

Guangxi, China Opened: September 21, 2009 Length: 1050 m Material: Concrete, Steel Designed by: OPAC Consulting Engineers, Lin Tung-Yen China NANNING BRIDGE

Vancouver, Canada Opened: 1889 Length: 140 m Material: Wire Cables, Hardwood Decking Designed by: George Grant Mackay CAPILANO SUSPENSION BRIDGE

Tokyo, Japan Opened: August 26, 1993 Length: 798 m Material: Steel Designed by: Kawasaki Heavy Industries RAINBOW BRIDGE

Abegweit Passage, Canada Opened: May 31, 1997 Length: 12,874.8 m Material: Concrete Designed by: Jean M. Muller CONFEDERATION BRIDGE

Budapest, Hungary Opened: November 20, 1849 Length: 375 m Material: Wrought Iron, Stone Designed by: William Tierney Clark SZÉCHENYI CHAIN BRIDGE

Klosters, Switzerland Opened: 1998 Length: 526 m Material: Concrete Designed by: Christian Menn SUNNIBERG BRIDGE

Isfahan, Iran Opened: 1650 Length: 105 m Material: Stone Designed by: Shah Abbas II POL-E-KHAJOO

Lisbon, Portugal Opened: March 29, 1998 Length: 17,200 m Material: Concrete Designed by: Armando Rito Engineering VASCO DA GAMA BRIDGE

Putrajaya, Malaysia Opened: April 16, 2003 Length: 240 m Material: Concrete, Steel, Cable backstays Designed by: Perbadanan Putrajaya SERI WAWASAN BRIDGE

New Mexico, U.S.A. Opened: September 10, 1965 Length: 388 m Material: Steel Designed by: Charles E. Reed, Herman Tachau RIO GRANDE GORGE BRIDGE

Edinburgh, Scotland Opened: March 4, 1890 Length: 2,528.7 m Material: Steel Designed by: Sir John Fowler, Sir Benjamin Baker FORTH BRIDGE

New York City, U.S.A. Opened: November 21, 1964 Length: 4175.76 m Material: Concrete, Steel Designed by: Othmar Ammann VERRAZANO-NARROWS BRIDGE

Dublin, Ireland Opened: May, 1816 Length: 43 m Material: Cast Iron, Wood Designed by: N.A. HA'PENNY BRIDGE

Other Notable Mentions From Around the World

- Jiaozhou Bay Bridge: China - Nanpu Bridge: China - Charles Bridge: Czech Republic - Tsing Ma Bridge: Hong Kong - Howrah Bridge: India - Te Rewa Rewa Bridge: New Zealand - Helix Bridge: Singapore

- Nelson Mandela Bridge: South Africa - Erasmusbrug: The Netherlands - Bixby Creek Bridge: U.S.A. - Hangzhou Bay Bridge: China - Seven Mile Bridge: U.S.A. - Khabarovsk Bridge: Russia

- Boyne River Bridge: Ireland - New Little Belt Bridge: Denmark - Donghai Bridge: China - Mỹ Thuận Bridge: Vietnam - Birchenough Bridge: Zimbabwe - The Lewiston-Queenston Bridge: U.S.A. - General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge: Venezuela - Octávio Frias de Oliveira Bridge: Brazil

The construction of a bridge is interesting, but toilsome, and not to mention dangerous since it involves conquering and bringing under control the powerful forces of nature. As Jim West once rightly put it, "Bridges are metaphors for everything in life. The bridge is not just about getting back and forth between north and south. The bridge is about connecting our communities."