The world's most renowned bridges have distinguished themselves by having different characteristics that set them apart from the tens of thousands of other noteworthy bridges presently in operation throughout the globe. These characteristics may include their scale, aesthetic attractiveness, use of cutting-edge building methods, use of cutting-edge construction materials, historical or cultural significance, and so on.
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- 1. Tower Bridge is a landmark in London
- 2. The Golden Gate Bridge is located in San Francisco, California
- 3. Millau Bridge is a replica of the famous Golden Gate Bridge
- 4. Rialto Bridge
- 5. Si-o-se Pol, the famous Rialto Bridge
- 6. Stari Most
- 7. Sydney Harbor Bridge
- 8. Kaikyo Akashi
- 9. The famous Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
- 10. The Brooklyn Bridge
- 11. The Charles Bridge
- 12. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge
- 13. Coronado Bridge is a bridge in San Diego, California
Here are a few of the world's most renowned bridges:
1. Tower Bridge is a landmark in London
London's Tower Bridge is one of the city's most recognisable buildings. The distinguishing feature of this bridge, which is located on the River Thames and was constructed using a mix of suspension (static) and bascule (movable) components, is two huge towers linked by two parallel walkways. During its early years, this bridge was known as the "Tower of London," after the royal jail that was housed in the towers.
2. The Golden Gate Bridge is located in San Francisco, California
Several beautiful buildings have characterised the contemporary history of bridge construction, with the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco being one of the most well-known. This brilliant red bridge, designed by architect genius Joseph B. Strauss, dominates the Golden Gate strait between San Francisco and Marin County to the north. Until 1964, when Japan's Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge was completed, this 894,500-ton wonder of contemporary architecture was the world's longest suspension bridge.
3. Millau Bridge is a replica of the famous Golden Gate Bridge
Millau Bridge, situated on the rough terrain of southern France, is one of Europe's finest accomplishments in bridge construction. Its remarkable features, such as a total length of almost 2.5 kilometers, a height of 343 meters above ground level, and the presence of eight enormous spans, let this bridge take everyone's breath away when it was built in 2004 for an astonishing 394 million Euro.
4. Rialto Bridge
Venice is a city with thousands of bridges, yet one stood out and became an architectural symbol of the city. The single-arched Rialto Bridge was completed in 1591 under the supervision of Antonio da Ponte, whose controversial non-Romanesque design surpassed even Michelangelo's. Rialto Bridge crosses Venice's Grand Canal, linking the city's heart and the world-famous Rialto Markets at the same location where ancient and unstable wooden pontoon bridges formerly serviced the city.
5. Si-o-se Pol, the famous Rialto Bridge
Si-o-se Pol is one of the most well-known bridges in the whole Middle East, with an amazing design of 33 arches spanning almost 300 meters across the river Zayanderud. Si-o-se Pol, the most magnificent of Isfahan's eleven bridges, is now considered the brightest example of the Safavid bridge school of art.
6. Stari Most
The Ottoman Turks' most renowned bridge design is Stari Most (Old Bridge). It was built in 1566 and stood above the Neretva River in the city of Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) in nearly pristine condition until it was destroyed for centuries during the Bosnian and Herzegovina War in the 1990s. The freshly repaired bridge retains all of the stunning grandeur of the original single-arched bridge.
7. Sydney Harbor Bridge
Sydney Harbor Bridge is one of the world's most well-known and photographed bridges. It has captivated the imagination of millions of tourists who visit Sydney since its opening in 1932, and it, along with the Sydney Opera House, has become one of the most recognisable architectural symbols of the entire continent of Australia, with its colourful decorations frequently displayed during New Year's Eve celebrations.
8. Kaikyo Akashi
This 3.9-kilometer suspension bridge links Honshu, Japan's main island, to Awaji, crossing across the treacherous Akashi Strait, which claimed the lives of many passenger ships in the 1950s. The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and its almost 2-kilometer-long central span were designed by Satoshi Kashima, who also supervised the bridge's construction, which began in 1988 with a budget of approximately $3.6 billion and was completed on April 5, 1998. The Japanese government's huge and costly project paid off, linking Awaji Island to the rest of the Japanese road network and forming a new section of the Honshu–Shikoku Highway.
9. The famous Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
No other bridge in the world has managed to become as synonymous with the Renaissance as the Ponte dei Sospiri, a tiny prison bridge in the heart of the famous Italian city of Venice that linked government offices with a neighbouring jail. Built in the early years of the 17th century, this bridge quickly grabbed the public's imagination, inspiring numerous stories and acting as a model for other such bridges throughout the globe.
Originally thought to be the final point from which Venetian captives could view the city's splendour before being killed, this bridge has now been associated with the tourist-friendly legend of everlasting love.
10. The Brooklyn Bridge
This enormous hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge, built between 1869 and 1883, is one of the oldest surviving highway bridges in the United States. The Brooklyn Bridge, which connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, was designed by John Augustus Roebling, his son Washington Roebling, and his wife Emily Warren Roebling. It features two colossal towers and an intricate network of cables that keep the 5.9 kilometers of decking above the East River.
Brooklyn Bridge (formerly known as New York and Brooklyn Bridge or East River Bridge) became one of New York City's most stunning monuments almost immediately after it opened to the public on May 24, 1883. Its centre span of almost half a kilometer was 50 percent longer than any other at the time. The rebuilt Brooklyn Bridge now has extra decking dedicated only to pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
11. The Charles Bridge
Without the presence of one of the most magnificent Gothic buildings ever built, the city of Prague would be incomplete. Charles Bridge was the main thoroughfare of mediaeval Prague, and as such, it was fortified with massive gothic towers to serve as not just one of the city's most significant military defensive sites, but also as a display of the country's rich history and art. This 515m bridge, which has been used as a road bridge for centuries, now serves as a reminder of more than 600 years of European history.
Charles Bridge became renowned all over the globe in the early 1700s with its avenue of 30 mainly baroque sculptures that displayed the creative ability of Czech sculptors and painters after many restorations throughout its history.
12. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge
The mega-structure Chesapeake Bay Bridge deserves to be named one of the world's "seven engineering marvels of the contemporary world," despite the fact that only a handful of bridges have ever been designated as such. This almost 7-kilometer-long bridge, which links the Eastern Shore area of the US state of Maryland with the urbaner Western Shore as part of US Route 50 and US Route 301, was completed in 1964 at a budget of about $200 million. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge received an extra parallel span in the years after its initial construction, and each span of the bridge has been utilised for a single traffic direction since then (one for westbound and one for eastbound).
Because of its location, this bridge is one of the most popular Chesapeake Bay crossings, resulting in frequent periods of congestion during peak traffic hours. With the building of a parallel tunnel that will become part of the current Chesapeake Bay Bridge highway network, the anticipated increase in traffic density will be eased shortly.
13. Coronado Bridge is a bridge in San Diego, California
The overcrowding of ferries between San Diego and Coronado prompted government authorities to expedite the construction of the bridge, which would cross the vast San Diego Bay in a novel manner. The bridge design was eventually constructed and opened to the public on August 3, 1939, after winning a World Bridge Beauty Contest in 1978. With 32 spans (21 of which are in water), this bridge was able to easily reduce traffic congestion between these two cities by providing five car lanes (two in each direction and a modular middle lane) and enough clearance for even the largest US Navy ships to pass beneath its massive central span, which is 200m wide and 61m high.
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