Bridges Archive

Pedro de Valdivia Bridge

Posted in: BridgesTags:

Pedro de Valdivia Bridge is an arch bridge spanning Valdivia River, that separates downtown Valdivia from Isla Teja island a residential area. Together with Río Cruces Bridge (built in 1987) it allows connection from Valdivia to the coastal town Niebla.

Pedro de Valdivia Bridge is named in honour of the founder of Valdivia the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia. It was opened in 1954 and survived the Great Chilean Earthquake, the greatest earthquake ever recorded, while nearby buildings collapsed. After the earthquake it survived the effects of the Riñihuazo, a flooding caused by the earthquake.

Read the rest of this entry »

Juan Pablo II Bridge

Posted in: BridgesTags:

The Juan Pablo II Bridge, also known as Puente Nuevo ("New Bridge"), is a bridge in Chile connecting Concepción and Talcahuano with San Pedro de la Paz, through the Biobío River. Since completion in 1974 it has remained the longest bridge in the country.

The bridge was designed by E.W.H. Gifford & Partners from England. It is 2.310 m. (7.578 ft) in length. It is formed by 70 parts of 33 m. each one and with a width of 21.9 m. (including 2 passerby corridors of 1.6 m.)

 

Read the rest of this entry »

Hangzhou Bay Bridge

Posted in: BridgesTags:

Hangzhou Bay Bridge (simplified Chinese: 杭州湾大桥; traditional Chinese: 杭州灣大橋; pinyin: Hángzhōu Wān Dàqiáo), is a long highway bridge with a cable-stayed portion across Hangzhou Bay in the eastern coastal region of China. It connects the municipalities of Jiaxing and Ningbo in Zhejiang province. At 35.673 km (22 mi) in length, Hangzhou Bay Bridge is the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world, but it does not have the longest cable-stayed main span. It is also second in the world in overall length, with the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in the United States being 2.8 kilometers longer.

Construction of the bridge was completed on June 14, 2007, and an opening ceremony was held on June 26, 2007 to great domestic media fanfare. But the bridge was not opened to public use until May 1, 2008 after a considerable period of testing and evaluation. The bridge shortened the highway travel distance between Ningbo and Shanghai by 120 km (75 mi) from 400 km (249 mi) and reduced travel time from 4 to 2.5 hours.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

Ting Kau Bridge

Posted in: BridgesTags:

Ting Kau Bridge is a 1,177-metre long cable-stayed bridge in Hong Kong that spans from the northwest of Tsing Yi Island and Tuen Mun Road. It is adjacent to Tsing Ma Bridge which also serves as major connector between the Hong Kong International Airport on Lantau Island and the rest of Hong Kong. It was completed in 1998. The bridge is toll-free.

The bridge is part of Route 3, connecting North-west New Territories with Hong Kong Island. Other major infrastructures on the road includes Tai Lam Tunnel, Cheung Tsing Tunnel, Cheung Tsing Bridge and Western Harbour Crossing. Compared to the nearby bridges on Lantau Link, Ting Kau Bridge is not just a landmark structure but also carries the heaviest traffic volume of the bridges, with many container trucks travelling to and from mainland China and the HK container port. A chromatic study and specially designed architectural lighting are intended to set the bridge off in its surroundings.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

Bhumibol Bridge

Posted in: BridgesTags:

The Bhumibol Bridge (Thai: สะพานภูมิพล), also known as the Industrial Ring Road Bridge (Thai: สะพานวงแหวนอุตสาหกรรม) is part of the 13 km long Industrial Ring Road connecting southern Bangkok with Samut Prakan Province. The bridge crosses the Chao Phraya River twice, with two striking cable-stayed spans of lengths of 702 m and 582 m supported by two diamond-shaped pylons 173 m and 164 m high. Where the two spans meet, another road rises to join them at a free-flowing interchange suspended 50 metres above the ground.

The bridge opened for traffic on 20 September 2006, before the official opening date of 5 December 2006. It is part of the Bangkok Industrial Ring Road, a royal scheme initiated by King Bhumibol Adulyadej that aims to solve traffic problems within Bangkok and surrounding areas, especially the industrial area around Khlong Toei Port, Southern Bangkok and Samut Prakan Province.

 

Read the rest of this entry »