List of longest continuous truss bridge spans

Last updated

The Braga Bridge is a continuous truss bridge. It was the fourth longest span of this type when it was completed in 1966. Braga Bridge.JPG
The Braga Bridge is a continuous truss bridge. It was the fourth longest span of this type when it was completed in 1966.

This list of continuous bridge spans ranks the world's continuous truss bridges in two listings: The first is ranked by the length of main span (the longest length of unsupported roadway) and the second by the total length of continuous truss spans.

Contents

Both lists include bridges that act primarily as a continuous truss. These bridges may appear to be—or may incorporate elements of—a different design. For example, the now destroyed Francis Scott Key Bridge incorporated an arch shape into the design, but was continuous across multiple spans. The Key Bridge acted first as a continuous truss bridge and secondarily as an arch bridge. This list does not include cantilever bridges.

Only bridges that are currently in use are included in the rankings. Bridges currently being planned, designed, or constructed and bridges that have been destroyed or demolished are noted separately.

List ranked by length of main span

The length of main span is the most common method of comparing the size of bridges. The length of the main span will often correlate with the depth of the truss (height the truss from bottom to top) and the engineering complexity involved in designing and constructing the bridge.

For bridges that have the same span length, the older bridge is listed first.

Note: Click on each bridge's rank to go to the bridge's official Web site. Ranks with a red asterisk (*) do not have official Web sites (or they do not have an English-language version) and are linked instead to a reference entry.
   RankNameLocationMain
span
metres
Main
span
feet
Year
opened
Ikitsuki Bridge.jpg * Ikitsuki Bridge
(The longest span from 1991 to the present)
Flag of Japan.svg Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan 4001,312  1991
Astoria-Megler Bridge01 2008-02-26.jpg * Astoria-Megler Bridge
(The longest span from 1966 to 1991)
Flag of the United States.svg Astoria, Oregon, USA 3761,232  1966
The Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore).jpg Francis Scott Key Bridge (destroyed in 2024) Flag of the United States.svg Baltimore, Maryland, USA 3661,200  1977
HartBridgeJax.jpg Hart Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Jacksonville, Florida, USA 3311,088  1967
Oshima Big Bridge-2.jpg * Oshima Bridge Flag of Japan.svg Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan 3251,066  1976
Tenmon-bridge-misumiside.jpg * Tenmon Bridge Flag of Japan.svg Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan 300984  1966
Kuronoseto Ohashi.jpg Kuronoseto Bridge Flag of Japan.svg Kuronoseto, Japan 300984  1974
Cincinnati-Taylor-Soutgate-Bridge.JPG * Taylor-Southgate Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Cincinnati, Ohio / Newport, Kentucky, USA 259850  1995
Julien Dubuque Bridge 066951pr.jpg * Julien Dubuque Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Dubuque, Iowa / East Dubuque, Illinois, USA 258845  1943
Braga Bridge.JPG Braga Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Somerset / Fall River, Massachusetts, USA 256840  1966
KamagariBridge 02.jpg * Kamakari bridge Flag of Japan.svg Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan 255837  1979
Linked image * Earle C. Clements (Shawneetown) Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Old Shawneetown, Illinois / Union County, Kentucky, USA 251.5826  1955
Cairo I-57 Bridge 1997.jpg * Cairo I-57 Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Charleston, Missouri / Cairo, Illinois, USA 250821  1978
Kite photo big Suspension Bridge2.jpg Yoshima Bridge Flag of Japan.svg Seto Inland Sea, Japan 245804  1988
Gov. Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge.jpg Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Dahlgren, Virginia and Newburg, Maryland, USA 244800  1940
Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge2.JPG Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Kingston, New York, USA 244800  1957
Donholt.JPG * Don N. Holt Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Charleston, South Carolina, USA 244800  1992
Linked image * Phil G McDonald Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Beckley, West Virginia, USA 239785  1988
Linked image * Rochester-Monaca Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Rochester, Pennsylvania, USA 238780  1986
SciotovilleBridge.jpg * Sciotoville Bridge (2 spans) Flag of the United States.svg Sciotodale, Ohio / Limeville, Kentucky, USA 236775  1916
Sonoma Lake aerial view.jpg * Warm Springs Creek Bridge [1] Flag of the United States.svg Sonoma County, California, USA 230753  1978
Sewickleybridge.jpg * Sewickley Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Sewickley, Pennsylvania, USA 229750  1981
Betsy Ross Bridge from Pennsauken Township Boat Ramp.jpeg Betsy Ross Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA 222729  1976
MatthewWelshBridge.jpg * Matthew E. Welsh Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Mauckport, Indiana, USA 221725  1966



List ranked by total length

It is also possible to rank continuous truss bridges by the sum of the continuous spans.

Note that if the bridge has an expansion joint (a discontinuity), the sections of the bridge would be considered separate (by the definition of a continuous bridge) for the purposes of this ranking. The Yoshima Bridge is an example of this. It consists of two continuous-truss sections that together have five total spans. The first section (or unit) is 2-span continuous, 125 m + 137 m; the second section is a 3-span unit, 165 m + 245 m + 165 m. [2]

RankNameLocationIndividual span lengths
in meters or feet
Total length in
meters (feet)
Ayeyawady Bridge (Pakokku) (15581031967).jpg
1 Pakokku Bridge Flag of Myanmar.svg Pakokku, Myanmar 390 ft6,278 m (20,597 ft)
Thanlwin Bridge (Mawlamyine) Flag of Myanmar.svg Mawlamyine, Myanmar 367 ft6,596 m (21,640 ft)
Irrawaddy Bridge (Nyaungdon) Flag of Myanmar.svg Nyaungdon, Myanmar 390 ft
Nan Jing Da Sheng Guan Tie Lu Qiao  - panoramio.jpg 2 Dashengguan Bridge Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Nanjing, China 108 + 192 + 336 + 336 + 192 + 108 meters [3] 1,272 metres (4,173 ft)
Jiu Jiang Pi Pa Ting Yuan Tiao Chang Jiang Da Qiao .JPG 2 Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Jiujiang, China 3*162 + 180 + 216 + 180 + 2*126 m [4] 1,314 m (4,311 ft)
The Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore).jpg 3 Francis Scott Key Bridge (destroyed in 2024) Flag of the United States.svg Baltimore, Maryland, USA 219.6 + 366 + 219.6 meters [5] 2,640 feet (800 m)
Ikitsuki Bridge.jpg 4 Ikitsuki Bridge Flag of Japan.svg Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan 200 + 400 + 200 m [5] 800.0 m (2,624.7 ft)
Astoria-Megler Bridge01 2008-02-26.jpg 5 Astoria-Megler Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Astoria, Oregon, USA 616 + 1,232 + 616 ft [5] 751 m (2,464 ft)

History of the record span

NameLocationMain span
in meters (feet)
Longest
from
Longest
to
Ikitsuki Bridge.jpg Ikitsuki Bridge Flag of Japan.svg Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan 400 m (1,300 ft)1991present
Astoria-Megler Bridge01 2008-02-26.jpg Astoria-Megler Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Astoria, Oregon, USA 375.6 m (1,232 ft)19661991
NRW, Duisburg-Hochfelder Eisenbahnbrucke 01.jpg Duisburg-Rheinhausen Bridge Flag of Germany.svg Duisburg, Germany 254.5 meters (835 ft)19451966
SciotovilleBridge.jpg Sciotoville Bridge Flag of the United States.svg Sciotodale, Ohio, USA 236 meters (774 ft)19161945

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suspension bridge</span> Type of bridge

A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridges, which lack vertical suspenders, have a long history in many mountainous parts of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Covered bridge</span> Wooden bridge with protective cover

A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered wooden bridges typically have a lifespan of only 20 years because of the effects of rain and sun, but a covered bridge can last over 100 years. In the United States, only about 1 in 10 survived the 20th century. The relatively small number of surviving bridges is due to deliberate replacement, neglect, and the high cost of restoration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arch bridge</span> Bridge with arch-shaped supports

An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct may be made from a series of arches, although other more economical structures are typically used today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gladesville Bridge</span> Bridge in Sydney, Australia

Gladesville Bridge is a heritage-listed concrete arch road bridge that carries Victoria Road over the Parramatta River, linking the Sydney suburbs of Huntleys Point and Drummoyne, in the local government areas of Canada Bay and Hunter's Hill, in New South Wales, Australia. Despite its name, the bridge is not in Gladesville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truss</span> Rigid structure that consists of two-force members only

A truss is an assembly of members such as beams, connected by nodes, that creates a rigid structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cantilever bridge</span> Bridge built using cantilevers

A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed to handle road or rail traffic use trusses built from structural steel, or box girders built from prestressed concrete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truss bridge</span> Bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss

A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. There are several types of truss bridges, including some with simple designs that were among the first bridges designed in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A truss bridge is economical to construct primarily because it uses materials efficiently.

The Isaiah David Hart Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. It carries U.S. Route 1 Alternate and State Road 228 (SR 228). It is named after Isaiah Hart, the founder of Jacksonville and is often referred to as the Hart Bridge. It was designed by Sverdrup & Parcel. The Hart Bridge is one of the longest truss bridges in the world, and has the world's third longest main span of any truss bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Seto Bridge</span> Major bridge connecting Honshū and Shikoku

The Great Seto Bridge or Seto Ohashi Bridge is a series of double deck bridges connecting Okayama and Kagawa prefectures in Japan across a series of five small islands in the Seto Inland Sea. Built over the period 1978–88, it is one of the three routes of the Honshū–Shikoku Bridge Project connecting Honshū and Shikoku islands and the only one to carry rail traffic. The total length is 13.1 kilometers (8.1 mi), and the longest span, the Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge, is 1,100 m (3,600 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lavr Proskouriakov</span>

Lavr Dmitrievich Proskouriakov was a Russian bridge engineer. He was one of the foremost authorities on bridge engineering and structural mechanics in the Russian Empire and the early Soviet Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tied-arch bridge</span> Type of bridge

A tied-arch bridge is an arch bridge in which the outward-directed horizontal forces of the arch(es) are borne as tension by a chord tying the arch ends rather than by the ground or the bridge foundations. This strengthened chord may be the deck structure itself or consist of separate, independent tie-rods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Girardeau Bridge</span> Bridge in Missouri and Illinois, US

The Cape Girardeau Bridge was a continuous through truss bridge connecting Missouri's Route 34 with Illinois Route 146 across the Mississippi River between Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and East Cape Girardeau, Illinois. It was replaced in 2003 with the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Continuous truss bridge</span> Type of bridge

A continuous truss bridge is a truss bridge that extends without hinges or joints across three or more supports. A continuous truss bridge may use less material than a series of simple trusses because a continuous truss distributes live loads across all the spans; in a series of simple trusses, each truss must be capable of supporting the entire load.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorial Bridge (Massachusetts)</span> Bridge in to West Springfield, Massachusetts

The Hampden County Memorial Bridge is a reinforced-concrete arch bridge that spans the Connecticut River between Springfield, Massachusetts and West Springfield, Massachusetts, constructed in 1922. The bridge is owned by Massachusetts Highway Department and is located on Massachusetts Route 147. It spans 209 feet (64 m) and rises 29.71 feet (9.06 m) above the river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arch Bridge (Bellows Falls)</span> Bridge in Vermont to North Walpole, New Hampshire

The Bellows Falls Arch Bridge was a three-hinged steel through arch bridge over the Connecticut River between Bellows Falls, Vermont and North Walpole, New Hampshire. It was structurally significant as the longest arch bridge in the United States when it was completed in 1905.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridges and tunnels across the Yangtze River</span>

The bridges and tunnels across the Yangtze River carry rail and road traffic across China's longest and largest river and form a vital part of the country's transportation infrastructure. The river bisects China proper from west to east, and every major north–south bound highway and railway must cross the Yangtze. Large urban centers along the river such as Chongqing, Wuhan, and Nanjing also have urban mass transit rail lines crossing the Yangtze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaotianmen Bridge</span> Bridge in Chongqing, China

The Chaotianmen Bridge, is a road-rail bridge over the Yangtze River in the city of Chongqing, China. The bridge, which opened on 29 April 2009, is the world's longest through arch bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winooski River Bridge</span> United States historic place

The Winooski River Bridge, also known locally as the Checkered House Bridge, is a historic Pennsylvania through truss bridge, carrying U.S. Route 2 (US 2) across the Winooski River in Richmond, Vermont. Built in 1929, it is one of only five Pennsylvania trusses in the state, and was the longest bridge built in the state's bridge-building program that followed massive flooding in 1927. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macquarie River railway bridge, Bathurst</span> Bridge in New South Wales, Australia

The Macquarie River railway bridge is a heritage-listed disused railway bridge across the Macquarie River that was previously located on the Main Western line in Bathurst in the Bathurst Region local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1876. It is also known as Bathurst Rail Bridge over Macquarie River and Bathurst – Kelso Railway Bridge. The property is owned by Transport Asset Holding Entity, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. The bridge was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 and was added to the Register of the National Estate on 18 April 1989.

References

Footnotes

  1. "Warm Springs Creek Bridge". HighestBridges.com.
  2. Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Authority. "Yoshima Bridge". Archived from the original on 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  3. "Dashengguan Bridge (Nanjing, 2010)".
  4. (Chinese) 有关“九江长江大桥”的图片 Archived 2015-01-28 at the Wayback Machine
  5. 1 2 3 Ewert, Sven (2003). Brücken (Bridges) (in German). Ernst & Sohn. p. 43. ISBN   3-433-01612-7 . Retrieved 2008-07-11.