The world's longest suspension bridges are listed according to the length of their main span (i.e., the length of suspended roadway between the bridge's towers). The length of the main span is the most common method of comparing the sizes of suspension bridges, often correlating with the height of the towers and the engineering complexity involved in designing and constructing the bridge. [4] If one bridge has a longer span than another, it does not necessarily mean that the bridge is longer from shore to shore (or from abutment to abutment).
Suspension bridges have the longest spans of any type of bridge. Cable-stayed bridges, the next longest design, are practical for spans up to just over 1 kilometre. Therefore, as of 2021 [update] , the 31 longest bridges on this list are the 31 longest spans of all types of vehicular bridges (other than floating pontoon bridges).
Currently, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey holds the record since opening to traffic in March 2022, with a span of 2,023 metres (6,637 ft). [1] [3] Since 1998, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan previously held the record with a span of 1,991 metres (6,532 ft).
This list includes only completed suspension bridges that carry automobiles or trains that are at least 1,000 m (3,300 ft) long. It does not include cable-stayed bridges, footbridges, or pipeline bridges.
Green | Denotes bridge that contains or previously contained the longest span in the world |
Most of the large suspension bridges built in recent years have been in the People's Republic of China. As the following list shows, most of the bridges under construction are also in China.
Name | Main span metres (feet) | Year to open | Location | Country | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zhangjiagang-Jingjiang-Rugao Yangtze River Bridge (South span) 张靖皋长江大桥南航道桥 | 2,300 m (7,550 ft) | 2028 | Zhangjiagang (Jiangsu) 32°1′13″N120°31′32″E / 32.02028°N 120.52556°E | China | [65] |
Shiziyang Bridge 狮子洋大桥 | 2,180 m (7,150 ft) | 2028 | Guangzhou-Dongguan | China | [66] |
Yanji Yangtze River Bridge 燕矶长江大桥 | 1,860 m (6,100 ft) | 2025 | Huanggang-Ezhou (Hubei) 30°24′21″N114°59′22″E / 30.40583°N 114.98944°E | China | [67] |
Shuangyumen Bridge 双屿门特大桥 | 1,768 m (5,800 ft) | 2027 | Zhoushan (Zhejiang) 29°44′29″N122°02′50.23″E / 29.74139°N 122.0472861°E | China | [68] |
Nanjing Xianxin Road Yangtze River Bridge 南京仙新路过江通道 | 1,760 m (5,770 ft) | 2024 | Nanjing (Jiangsu) 32°10′55″N118°53′46″E / 32.18194°N 118.89611°E | China | [69] |
Lugu Lake Bridge 泸沽湖特大桥 | 1,680 m (5,510 ft) [70] | 2027 | Liangshan (Sichuan) | China | [71] |
Xiaowan Lancang River Bridge 小湾澜沧江特大桥 | 1,575 m (5,170 ft) | Fengqing (Yunnan) | China | [72] | |
Longtan Yangtze River Bridge 龙潭长江大桥 | 1,560 m (5,120 ft) | 2024 | Nanjing-Yangzhou (Jiangsu) 32°14′40″N119°05′14″E / 32.24444°N 119.08722°E | China | [73] |
Dadong Jinsha River Bridge 大东金沙江特大桥 | 1,520 m (4,990 ft) | 2026 | Lijiang, (Yunnan) | China | [74] |
Xihoumen Rail / Road Bridge 西堠门公铁两用大桥 | 1,488 m (4,882 ft) | 2026 | Zhoushan (Zhejiang) 30°4′49.83″N121°54′12.04″E / 30.0805083°N 121.9033444°E | China | [75] |
Shuangliu Yangtze River Bridge 双柳长江大桥 | 1,430 m (4,690 ft) | 2026 | Wuhan-Ezhou (Hubei) 30°36′28″N114°44′59″E / 30.60778°N 114.74972°E | China | [76] |
Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge 花江峡谷大桥 | 1,420 m (4,659 ft) | 2025 | Guanling-Zhenfeng (Guizhou) | China | [77] [78] |
Yongchang Lancang River Bridge 永昌澜沧江大桥 | 1,416 m (4,646 ft) | Changning (Yunnan) | China | ||
Dahe Bridge 大河特大桥 | 1,250 m (4,100 ft) | 2027 | Liupanshui (Guizhou) | China | [79] [80] |
Fuxing Yangtze River Bridge 江龙高速复兴长江大桥 | 1,208 m (3,960 ft) | 2025 | Yunyang, Chongqing | China | [81] |
Zhangjiagang-Jingjiang-Rugao Yangtze River Bridge (North span) 张靖皋长江大桥北航道桥 | 1,208 m (3,960 ft) | 2028 | Jingjiang (Jiangsu) 32°3′11″N120°32′54″E / 32.05306°N 120.54833°E | China | [65] |
Yalong River Bridge 雅砻江特大桥 | 1,200 m (3,940 ft) | 2028 | Liangshan (Sichuan) | China | [71] |
Wudongde Jinsha River Bridge 乌东德金沙江特大桥 | 1,180 m (3,870 ft) | 2026 | Liangshan (Sichuan) | China | [71] |
Libu Yangtze River Rail/Road Bridge 李埠长江公铁大桥 | 1,120 m (3,670 ft) | 2027 | Jingzhou (Hubei) | China | [82] |
Xingyi Yangtze River Rail/Road Bridge 兴义长江公铁大桥 | 1,120 m (3,670 ft) | 2028 | Fengdu (Chongqing) | China | [83] |
Chacao Channel bridge | 1,100 m (3,600 ft) | 2025 [84] | Calbuco–Chiloé 41°47′38″S73°31′15″W / 41.79389°S 73.52083°W | Chile | [85] |
Longmen Bridge 龙门大桥 | 1,098 m (3,602 ft) | 2024 | Qinzhou (Guangxi) | China | [86] |
Chuandian Jinsha River Bridge 川滇金沙江特大桥 | 1,060 m (3,480 ft) | 2024 | Yunnan–Sichuan | China | [87] |
Kahaluo Jinsha River Bridge 卡哈洛金沙江特大桥 | 1,030 m (3,380 ft) | 2024 | Yunnan–Sichuan | China | [88] |
Image | Bridge | Location | Length m (ft) | Years of longest span | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hypothesized support | Maya Bridge at Yaxchilan | Mexico | 62 m (203 ft) | 600–1430 | Hemp-rope simple suspension footbridge. Existence unproven. No longer standing. Prior longest bridges are located in List of longest arch bridge spans. Exceeded by the masonry arch Trezzo sull'Adda Bridge from 1377 to 1416, with main span of 72 m. |
Chushul Chakzam | Tibet, China | 137 m (449 ft) | 1430–1820 | Chain suspension footbridge south of Lhasa, built by Thangtong Gyalpo. Reported by British spies to still be in use in 1878. Later (before 1904) fell into disuse after river course changed, swamping the northern end. [89] Dynamited by Chinese soldiers after the Battle of Chamdo in 1950. [90] | |
Union Chain Bridge | Scotland–England, UK | 137 m (449 ft) | 1820–1826 | The oldest in the world still in use today. | |
Menai Suspension Bridge | Wales, UK | 176 m (577 ft) | 1826–1834 | ||
Great Suspension Bridge | Fribourg, Switzerland | 271 m (889 ft) | 1834–1849 | The bridge was replaced by the Zähringen Bridge in the 1920s. | |
Wheeling Suspension Bridge | West Virginia, US | 308 m (1,010 ft) | 1849–1866 | The longest deck span from 1849 until 1866, and the oldest vehicular suspension bridge in use in the United States until 2019. | |
Queenston-Lewiston Bridge | US and Canada | 317 m (1,040 ft) | 1851–1866 | The longest cable span from 1851 until it was destroyed by wind in 1864. However, the road deck span was only 258 meters long. | |
John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge | Kentucky–Ohio, US | 322 m (1,056 ft) | 1866–1869 | ||
Niagara Clifton Bridge | US and Canada | 384 m (1,260 ft) | 1869–1883 | Replaced in 1899. | |
Brooklyn Bridge | New York City, US | 486 m (1,594 ft) | 1883–1903 | ||
Williamsburg Bridge | New York City, US | 488 m (1,601 ft) | 1903–1926 | It was the longest suspension span but not the longest span of all bridges. The Forth Bridge, completed in 1890, a cantilever bridge with two spans of 521 m was longer until surpassed by the Quebec Bridge in 1917. | |
Bear Mountain Bridge | New York, US | 497 m (1,631 ft) | 1924–1926 | It was the longest suspension span but not the longest span of all bridges. The Quebec Bridge completed in 1917, a cantilever bridge with a span of 549 m was longer until surpassed in 1929 by the Ambassador Bridge. The first suspension bridge to have a concrete deck. The construction methods pioneered in building it would make possible several much larger projects to follow. | |
Benjamin Franklin Bridge | Pennsylvania–New Jersey, US | 533 m (1,749 ft) | 1926–1929 | It was the longest suspension span but not the longest span of all bridges. | |
Ambassador Bridge | US and Canada | 564 m (1,850 ft) | 1929–1931 | Since this bridge was built, the record for longest bridge span has only been held by suspension bridges. | |
George Washington Bridge | New York – New Jersey, US | 1,067 m (3,501 ft) | 1931–1937 | The first span longer than 1 km. Nearly double the length of any previously built bridge at the time of its opening. | |
Golden Gate Bridge | California, US | 1,280 m (4,200 ft) | 1937–1964 | Also the longest bridge span in the world from 1937 to 1964 | |
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge | New York City, US | 1,298 m (4,259 ft) | 1964–1981 | Also the longest bridge span in the world from 1964 to 1981 | |
Humber Bridge | Yorkshire, UK | 1,410 m (4,630 ft) | 1981–1998 | Also the longest bridge span in the world from 1981 to 1998 | |
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge | Japan | 1,991 m (6,532 ft) | 1998–2022 | Also the longest bridge span in the world from 1998 to 2022. The largest ever increase in length. | |
Çanakkale 1915 Bridge | Turkey | 2,023 m (6,637 ft) | 2022–Present | The longest bridge span in the world since 2022. The first span longer than 2 km. |
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.
The Ningbo−Zhoushan Expressway, commonly referred to as the Yongzhou Expressway, is an expressway in Zhejiang, China which links Ningbo to Zhoushan. In the National Trunk Highway System (NTHS) in China, the number of this highway is G9211.
The Jin'an Bridge is a suspension bridge near Lijiang, Yunnan, China. At 461 m (1,512 ft), it is the fourth highest bridge in the world. The bridge forms part of the G4216 Chengdu–Lijiang Expressway carrying traffic over the Jinsha River. The bridge construction began in 2016, the structure closed in January 2020 and it opened for traffic on 31 December 2020. The main span of the bridge is 1,386 m (4,547 ft).
The Coastal corridor is a high-speed rail corridor running along the eastern coast of China, stretching from Dalian in the north to Fangchenggang in the south and passing through the cities of Shenyang, Qinhuangdao, Tianjin, Dongying, Weifang, Qingdao, Lianyungang, Yancheng, Nantong, Shanghai, Ningbo. Fuzhou, Xiamen, Shenzhen, and Zhanjiang. The Weifang–Qingdao stretch splits into two, one directly connecting Weifang to Qingdao, the other connecting Weifang to Qingdao through Yantai. As apart of China's "Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal" network, announced in 2016, this corridor is an extension of the Hangzhou–Fuzhou–Shenzhen passenger railway from "Four Vertical and Four Horizontal" network. The line will comprise a mixture of high-speed railway lines, upgraded conventional rail lines and intercity railways.
Chajiaotan Bridge is a suspension bridge in Xishui County, Guizhou, China. It is one of the highest bridges in the world at 323 m (1,060 ft). The bridge is part of the Xugu Expressway carrying traffic over the Chishui River. Construction began in 2014 and the bridge opened in 2020. The main span of the bridge is 1,200 m (3,900 ft) making it one of the longest ever built. Other high bridges on the Sichuan section of the Xugu expressway include Shilianghe, Luosizhai, Tiantanghe, Modaoxi and two crossings of the Gulin River.
China National Highway 341 will run from Jiaonan in Shandong to Haiyan in Qinghai. It is one of the new trunk highways proposed in the China National Highway Network Planning.
The Wufengshan Yangtze River Bridge is a two-decked suspension bridge carrying the Lianyungang–Zhenjiang high-speed railway and the Jiangyi Expressway over the Yangtze. With a total length of 6,409 m (21,027 ft) and a main span of 1,092 m (3,583 ft), it is the world's longest span high-speed railway bridge, tied with the Hutong Yangtze River Bridge.
The G4218 Ya'an-Yecheng Expressway, commonly referred to as the Yaye Expressway, is an expressway that will traverse the entirety of Tibet and link Ya'an in Sichuan to Yecheng in Xinjiang.
The Nanjing Ring Expressway, designated as G2503, is ring expressway in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
The G7512 Guiyang–Chengdu Expressway, also referred to as the Zhurong Expressway, is an expressway in China that connects the cities of Guiyang, Guizhou and Chengdu, Sichuan.
The G2211 Changzhi–Yan'an Expressway, also referred to as the Changyan Expressway, is an expressway in China that connects the cities of Changzhi, Shanxi and Yan'an, Shaanxi.
The G1516 Yancheng–Luoyang Expressway, also referred to as the Yanluo Expressway, is an expressway in China that connects Yancheng, Jiangsu to Luoyang, Henan.
The G6512 Xiushan–Congjiang Expressway, also referred to as the Xiucong Expressway, is an expressway in China that connects Xiushan, Chongqing to Congjiang, Guizhou.
The total length often reflects a project size, while the span length commonly correlates with the engineering complexity involved in designing and constructing of the bridge.
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