Bridges are the huge structures built especially to create a passageway over the obstacles like water, road and etc. Various types of bridges are there depending upon the type of terrain they are going to be built on. Vast collection of structurally complex and sophisticated bridges have been created in the world but the top 10 most complex and amazing bridges ever built are listed below.
1. Rolling Bridge (England)
Designed and developed by Heatherwick studio in 2004, the Rolling Bridge is built with 39 foot timber and steel to pave a walkway over a small sector of London’s Grand Union Canal. This is equipped with hydraulics installed in handrail which allows the bridge to be retracted so as to make an uninterrupted way for the passing boats. The renowned architect Donald McDonald (having 40 years of experience in construction) is the creator of this jaw-dropping structure.
2. The Neal Bridge (United States)
Designed and created by the students of Advanced Structure and Composite Center from University of Maine, this small size bridge was constructed in 2008 and is considered to be unique one due to use of reinforced fiber plastics and high grade concrete. Though it looks odd but the price of constructing Neal Bridge is relatively high and costly. This is due to the construction and maintenance costs are higher if compared to the megastructure of the bridge.
3. Henderson Waves (Singapore)
The tallest pedestrian bridge of Singapore, the Henderson Waves is 118 foot high and links Telok Blangah Hill Park with Mount Faber Park. The snake shaped bridge is around 900 feet long and is illuminated with LED lights to present its glowing snake shape at night. The outer shape of the bridge is presents waves but from the inside, it is a whole different story. Inside it are the numbers of benches where people can sit and do gossips regarding whatever they like.
4. Sundial Bridge (Spain)
Designed by famous Spanish architect Santiago Clatrava, the Sundial Bridge is a pedestrian pathway which flies over the Sacramento River in to the Turtle Bay Exploration Park. Made from steel, granite and glass, the Sundial Bridge is equipped with 217 foot tall supporting towers connected to the bridge through the cables. This cable controlled bridge was completed in 2004 whereas its overall infrastructure gives the pedestrian a reason to be amused.
5. Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge (Brazil)
Paying homage to the former president of Brazil Juscelino Kubitschek, the bridge was completed in 2002 and passes over the Lake Paranoa. The asymmetrical shaped bridge is supported with three arches supporting its 39000 foot long deck. Alexandre Chan, the designer of the bridge managed the overall infrastructure in a amazing way which also serves a great touring point for the visitors who like to see structurally amazing structures.
6. Modern Bamboo Bridge (United States)
Probably the world’s first bamboo made structure; the Modern Bamboo Bridge was completed in 2007 by the University of Southern California’s engineer Yan Xiao. This stunning bridge is 32 foot long and has a carrying capacity of about 8 tons and is capable enough to handle heavily loaded trucks. The use of light prefabricated material allowed the workers to construct the such an amazing mega bridge without using the heavy construction machinery.
7. Millau Viaduct (France)
Here comes one of the highest and scariest bridges in the world, the Millau Viaduct is an 1125 feet high cable-stayed bridge providing distance coverage of about 1.5 miles. Supported by 1500 tons of cable stability, the Millau Viaduct is 885 feet high above the sea level which makes the drivers feel like driving over the clouds especially in foggy days. The infrastructure was predicted to be completed in many years but the use of prefabricated material, self-climbing formwork and GPS guidance systems allowed the construction to be completed in just 3 years.
8. Pont Gustave-Flaubert (France)
Europe’s tallest lift bridge, the Pont Gustave Flaubert is supported by 282 feet high standing pylons. Unlike the draw bridge which separates from the middle, the Pont Gustave rather lifts up by the butterfly shaped pulley system so as to pave a way for the passing tall ships. It takes around 12 minutes for the pulley system to pull up the bridge and that usually happens 30 to 40 times annually.
9. Langkawi Sky Bridge (Malaysia)
Being among the highly elevated single stay bridges in the world, the Langkawi Sky Bridge is a pedestrian bridge located around 2000 feet above the sea level in the mountains of Mount Mat Cincang. The 400 foot long curved pedestrian bridge has the 6 feet wide deck and gives the tourists; the panoramic view of Langkawi. The triangular observation decks are installed at each end of the bridge to allow the visitors take clear view of Langkawi.
10. Hangzhou Bay Bridge (China)
Constructed in 2008, the Hangzhou Bay Bridge is a massive bridge connecting the cities of Ningbo and Jiaxing while reducing their total distance by 75 miles. The longest ocean-crossing bridge in the world with 22 miles of length, the Hangzhou Bay Bridge is stabled by cable stayed spans and highway bridge elements. From end to end, the bridge presents an S-shaped structure providing a great pleasure-full drive to the travelers. In future, plans for constructing a service area in the middle of the bridge are being considered.
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