The longest bridge in the world - a real miracle of design thought

The bridge is one of the most beautiful engineering structures that connects the banks of rivers and lakes, seas and gorges. Without it, a modern railway or road rarely manages. Many bridges serve as symbols of cities and states, making up the gold fund of the technical thought of this or that state. Many designers and engineers strive to ensure that their construction is included in the list of "most-most", applying to it all their art and talent. One of the most prestigious is the title "the longest bridge in the world".

Over the long millennia of human history, this title passed from one engineering structure to another, setting new challenges for builders. To date , the world's longest bridge is in the People's Republic of China. This is a huge viaduct located on the Beijing-Shanghai Railway, about half way between Shanghai and Nanking.

The longest bridge in the world was built in record time: laid in 2008, it was opened in a solemn atmosphere in 2011. The bridge connects the picturesque shores of Yangcheng Lake, the length of which in this place is just under nine thousand meters. The total length of the bridge is absolutely amazing - more than 164 thousand meters, and the construction was conducted in rather difficult geographical conditions, which required from the designers of fundamentally new solutions to bring the work to its logical conclusion.

Also in China is the longest bridge in the world, located above the water. This miracle of engineering connects the city of Qingdao and the island of Huangdao. Even the Chinese able to work without interruption spent four years building it, but now, according to experts, this longest bridge in the world will operate for at least a hundred years, every day letting through several tens of thousands of cars. The designers took into account the high seismic hazard of the region: the bridge through Jiaozhou can withstand an earthquake of up to 8 points.

There is something to boast and our country. Opened on the eve of the APEC summit, the bridge that connects the continental part of Primorye and the Russky Island has as longest as possible guys (their length reaches 580 meters), so a grand span that is supported by cables - 1.1 kilometers. Since its height above the sea is 70 meters, even the largest ocean liners can pass under it .

However, the title "the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world" belongs to the construction, located again in China. It was opened on March 31, 2012 in a solemn atmosphere with the invitation not only of the country's political leadership, but also of well-known public figures, scientists and builders from all over the world. This bridge is located above the Aizhai gorge, and the length of its span exceeded the analogous parameters of the bridge to the Russian island by 72 meters.

Chinese engineers pay special attention to the fact that during the construction of this facility for the first time the latest technologies were used, allowing to work from the center to the ends of the bridge. This innovation has allowed to significantly reduce the time of work, so the bridge itself was delivered a year and a half earlier than originally planned.