| BRIDGING THE GAP BY ROAD AND RAIL | ||||
The world's first bridge with a main span of more than 1.6km (1 mile) is now open in Japan. The Akashi Strait, is a double-decker with a railway on one level and a motorway on the other. Work on the bridge began in 1978 and was completed in 1988. The longest multi-span bridge is the Second Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, USA; it is 38.4 km (23.9 miles) long. | ||||
| SOME OF THE WORLD'S LONGEST BRIDGES. | ||||
| Span | ||||
| Name | Location | Metres | Feet | Open |
Akashi-Kaikyo (suspension) |
Akashi Strait, Japan |
1780 | 5840 | 1988 |
Humber Estuary (suspension) |
Hull, UK |
1410 | 4626 | 1981 |
Verrazano Narrows (suspension) |
New York, USA |
1298 | 4260 | 1964 |
Golden Gate (suspension) |
San Fransisco, USA |
1280 | 4200 | 1937 |
Quebec Railway (cantilever) |
Quebec, Canada |
549 | 1800 | 1917 |
Forth Rail (cantilever) |
Firth of Forth, UK |
518 | 1700 | 1889 |
New River Gorge (steel arch) |
West Virginia, USA |
518 | 1700 | 1977 |
Bayonne (steel arch) |
New York, USA |
504 | 1632 | 1931 |
Sydney Harbour (steel arch) |
Sydney, Australia |
503 | 1650 | 1932 |
 The FORTH BRIDGE | ||||
