We have suspension bridges worldwide, some of them are popular, like the famous Golden Gate Bridge, which connects San Fransico with Marin County in California, or the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia.
What is a suspension bridge in the first place?
A suspension bridge is a form of bridge wherein a pathway or deck utilized to travel from side to side is supported through large cables between two towers located at each end of the bridge. The cables support most of the bridge’s weight and in part, assist in spanning it across very long distances.
In this article, we review the top 10 longest suspension bridges across the world, and it shall be seen how many of them one has ever heard about.
Note: We are only keeping the bridges in the list that are open for vehicles, ignoring any cable-stayed bridges, footbridges, or pipeline bridges. The list will be a descending list, with the 10th being the least long and the 1st being the longest suspension bridge in the world.
#10 Hangrui Dongting Bridge, China
Bridge Length – 1,480 meters (4,856 feet)
The Hangrui Dongting Bridge, completed over the Dongting Lake in Yueyang, northeastern Hunan Province of China, is an extraordinary feat of engineering.
The cable-stayed portion of the bridge is composed of three towers supporting the centre sections, each 310 meters long, supported by three towers. In addition to these, there are two side spans, each adding 130 meters to this long suspension marvel. Aggregating these, the total length of the bridge is 1,480 meters.
#9 Runyang Bridge, China
Bridge Length – 1,490 meters (4,889 feet)
The Runyang Yangtze River Bridge, China, Jiangsu Province, spans the Yangtze River close to Nanjing, a striking bridge complex. It connects the two cities: Zhenjiang on the south bank and Yangzhou on the north. The bridge has played an important role in the development of easier access to moving people and goods around the region.
Before the bridge was constructed, people could cross this stretch of the Yangtze River throughout the day with the help of ferry services.
The construction of the bridge complex began in October 2000 and finished several months before the scheduled deadline. It was opened to the public on April 30, 2005. The total cost of building the bridge was approximately 5.8 billion yuan (US$700 million), and the whole length of the bridge complex is about 35.66 kilometres (22.16 miles). The main span is 1,490 meters (4,889 feet), which makes it the longest over water, river bridge in the world.
Runyung Bridge is the 9th longest suspension bridges in the world.
#8 Yi Sun-sin Bridge, South Korea
Bridge Length – 1,545 meters (5,069 feet)
Yi Sun-sin Bridge is a unique road leading to Yeosu Industrial Complex in Yeosu, South Korea. The name comes from Admiral Yi Sun-sin, a Korean hero whose major skills are focused on the navy, therefore bringing about the link between history and modern engineering.
Since its opening in 2012, the bridge has been regarded as the eighth-longest suspension bridge in the world at 1,545 meters (5,069 feet) in length. It connects Gwangyang across the small Myodo-dong island.
Moreover, in 2013, the Yi Sun-sin Bridge was one of the finalists of the Outstanding Structure Award. That is further proof of the structure’s excellence; it became a symbol of pride and achievement for people in South Korea.
#7 Osman Gazi Bridge, Turkey
Bridge Length – 1,550 meters (5,090 feet)
Osman Gazi Bridge, otherwise known as İzmit Bay Bridge, is an exceptional suspension bridge crossing the Gulf of İzmit in Turkey. This marvellous structure forms part of the O-5 motorway to connect Gebze with Yalova Province and makes the journey much quicker in this part of the country.
They opened the bridge on July 1, 2016. Up until then, it was not only the longest suspension bridge in Turkey due to its central span length of 1,550 meters, but fourth in the world ranking.
#6 Great Belt Bridge, Denmark
Bridge Length – 1,624 meters (5,328 feet)
The Great Belt Bridge, also known as the East Bridge, is an important connection in Denmark, linking the islands of Zealand and Funen. This suspension bridge, with a total length of 6,790 meters (22,277 feet) and a central span of 1,624 meters (5,328 feet), is the world’s sixth-longest suspension bridge.
Designed by Danish firms COWI, Ramboll, and Dissing+Weitling, the bridge was built between 1991 and 1998 by a group of companies. The whole project, costing around 21.4 billion Danish kroner (about 310 million U.S. dollars), is the most significant construction effort in Danish history.
#5 Xihoumen Bridge, China
Bridge Length – 1,650 meters (5,413 feet)
The Xihoumen Bridge is a particular suspension bridge located in the Zhoushan Archipelago of China. It is part of a massive project that started in 1999 and connected the islands of Jintang and Cezi with the Jintang Bridge. This is such an important bridge because it plays a large role in connecting the greater Zhoushan Archipelago to mainland China.
The main part, the central span, is really long, 1,650 meters. It was one of the longest suspension bridges when they constructed it.
Construction started in 2005 by the Zhejiang province and took around 2.48 billion yuan, about 363 million U.S. dollars; by December 2007, the main part of the bridge was completed.
It formally opened to traffic as part of a test run on 25th December 2009, a huge moment in China’s building progress. However, there was a slight delay in the process due to an incident where a ship hit the nearby Jintang Bridge.
#4 Nansha Bridge, China
Bridge Length – 1,688 meters (5,538 feet)
The Nansha Bridge is a twin suspension bridge located in Guangdong, China; it spans the Pearl River. These bridges are super important to the expressway network in the Pearl River Delta, hence connecting Shatian Town in Dongguan with the Nansha District in Guangzhou.
Starting on April 2, 2019, they opened the Nansha Bridge to traffic, showcasing the awesome skills that China has in modern bridge building. The entire length of the bridge is 12,891 meters, while its longest span is referred to as the Nizhou Waterway Bridge and measures a huge 1,688 meters.
What’s cool about it is that this bridge is wide-54 meters or 177 carrying many lanes of traffic, which makes a big difference in the connections and how transportation works in this area.
#3 Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge, China
Bridge Length – 1,700 meters (5,577 feet)
Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge is a super-long suspension bridge that opened in October 2019 and is located in Wuhan Hubei Province, China. It is the longest not only in China but also the third longest in the whole world, with the main span over 1,700 meters stretching across the famous Yangtze River.
Another cool thing about this bridge is that this bridge possesses the world’s longest double-deck bridge span. On the bridge, there are two levels for different kinds of transportation.
It is 3rd longest suspension bridge in the world.
#2 Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Japan
Bridge Length – 1,991 meters (6,532 feet)
The Pearl Bridge is the 2nd longest suspension bridge. Commonly known as the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge it connects Awaji Island to Kobe in Japan. This bridge, completed in 1998, spans the busy Akashi Strait-weather often proving treacherous.
This suspension bridge was previously the longest in the world, having a central span of 1,991 meters (6,532 feet) until it lost the title to Turkey’s Çanakkale Bridge in 2022.
The idea of the bridge came after two disasters in the 1940s and 1950s outlined the requirement for a strong link across the strait. Construction began in 1988, and it was originally designed as both a railway and road bridge but later changed to just a six-lane road bridge.
#1 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, Turkey
Bridge Length – 2,023 meters (6,637 feet)
The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey is the world’s longest suspension bridge, with a main span of 2,023 meters (6,637 feet). It’s also the tallest bridge in Turkey, with towers reaching 334 meters (1,096 feet).
Construction began in March 2017 and finished early in March 2022. The bridge connects Europe and Asia and honours a key Ottoman naval victory from World War I.
Costing about 2.5 billion euros (2.7 billion U.S. dollars), it’s expected to save fuel and cut carbon emissions, symbolizing progress and sustainability for Turkey.
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