Curious to know which is the longest bridge in the world? Here’s a list of the 12 longest bridges in the world in 2019.
In addition to that, I’ve also listed the longest glass bridge in the world as well as the longest suspension bridge and other interesting facts.
The World’s longest bridges by total length
12. Yangcun Bridge
The Yangcun Bridge is located in China and has a length of 35.8 kilometers.
11. Manchac Swamp Bridge
This bridge goes above the Manchac mangrove in Louisiana and has a length of 36.7 kilometers.
10. Line 1, Wuhan Metro Bridge
Number 10 on the list can also be found in China, and it’s a bridge built for metro traffic, namely the line 1 in Wuhan. The bridge is 37.7 kilometers long.
9. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
This is the oldest bridge on the list, and also the longest bridge in the US. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is also located in Louisiana and used to be the longest bridge over water until 2018.
The total length of Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is 38.4 kilometers.
Photo: Shutterstock
8. Beijing grand bridge
The big bridge in Beijing is a part of the high-speed rail between the capital and Shanghai. It has a length of 48.1 kilometers.
7. Bang Pakong Expressway
When Bang Na, or Bang Pakong Expressway was opened in the year 2000, it was the longest bridge in the world. However, much has happened since, and Bangkok’s longest bridge will have to be satisfied with 7th place on the list.
Bang Na is 54 km long. .
6. Hongkong–Zhuhai–Macao-bridge
This is one of the newer bridges on the list, and it was finished as late as 2018. It connects Hong Kong and Macao, and is built over water, which means that the Hongkong-Zhuhai-Macao-bridge is the longest bridge over water.
Total length: 55 kilometer
Photo: Shutterstock
5. Weinan Weihe grand bridge
This bridge is 79.7 kilometers long and part of the high-speed rail between Zhengzhou and Xi’an.
4. Tianjin Grand bridge
When it was finished in 2010, it was at number 2 on this list according to Guinness World Records, but it was quickly surpassed. The Tianjin Grand Bridge is located in China and has a length of 113.7 kilometers.
It is part of the high-speed rail between Beijing and Shanghai.
3. Cangde Grand Bridge
The third longest bridge in the world is part of the railway line between Beijing and Shanghai. Cangde Grand Bridge is 115.9 kilometers long.
2. Changhua–Kaohsiung Viaduct
The world’s second longest bridge can be found in Taiwan and has a length of 157.3 km.
1. Danyang-kunshan grand bridge
The Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge is the longest bridge in the world with a length of 164.8 km. It was finished in 2010 and is a continuous bridge over land and water between Beijing and Shanghai.
More about the longest bridges in the world
As you may have noticed, there is almost like a theme among the longest bridges in the world. Many of them are located in China, but they are all primarily used to enable passenger traffic to transport people in a way that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.
There is also an enormous difference between the bridges that go mostly on land and those over water. It differs 109,8 kilometers between Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge and the Hongkong–Zhuhai–Macao-bridge.
Much have happened since Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was built in 1956, so who knows what will happen in the future. Perhaps we get a bridge that will cross the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean? With our current technology it would only be a dream, but architects always find new ways.
Photo: Shutterstock
The longest bridge over water
The Hongkong–Zhuhai–Macao-bridge became the longest bridge over water when it was finished in 2018. It’s a spectacular project which makes it even more convenient to travel between Hong Kong and Macao, which previously only could be done via ferry.
The bridge stands in an exposed area prone to various natural disasters, so the construction has been made to protect it for every possible scenario that might arise. For example, the bridge should easily withstand an earthquake with a magnitude of 8 on the Richer scale.
Also, it shouldn’t matter much if a 30 tonnes heavy ship would accidentally collide with it either.
The longest suspension bridge in the world
Akashi Kaikyo is the world’s longest suspension bridge with a length of 3911 meters. The bridge is four times longer than the Brooklyn Bridge and can be found in Japan.
The most famous bridge in the world
This is not an easy title to claim and there are two bridges in particular that stand out, which have been featured heavily in movies, books, and magazines.
The famous bridges I’m referring to are of course Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, which both could claim to be the most famous bridge in the world.
Photo: Shutterstock
The longest wooden bridge in the world
U Bein Bridge in Myanmar is considered as the longest wooden bridge in the world with a length of 1.2 kilometers. It was built already in 1850 by wood gathered from the royal palace in Inwa.
The world’s longest glass bridge
Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge is the longest glass bridge in the world.
The glass bridge invites visitors to a horrifying and thrilling experience where they can see through the glass bottom and down to the ground, 430 meters below them.
The longest bridge in the world for pedestrians
If you enjoy walking over bridges, you might want to check out Poughkeepsie Bridge in New York, which is the longest bridge in the world for pedestrians at 2063 meters long.
Pedestrians are not allowed on the other bridges that are longer on this list. From the beginning, Poughkeepsie Bridge was a railway bridge, but since 2009 it’s allowed to cross it by foot.
How many of the longest bridges in the world did you already know? Leave a comment below!