Suez Canal Bridge

Suez Canal Bridge
Carries	vehicular traffic[1]
Crosses	Suez Canal
Locale	El Qantara, Egypt
Maintained by	General Authority for Roads, Bridges & Transport, Ministry of Transport and Communication
Design	Cable-stayed bridge semi-fan arrangement, H-pylon, hollow box[1]
Material	steel and reinforced concrete[1]
Total length	3.9 kilometres (2.4 mi)[1]
Width	10 metres (33 ft)[1]
Height	pylons: 154 metres (505 ft)[1]
Longest span	404 metres (1,325 ft)[1]
Clearance below	70 metres (230 ft)[1]
Construction begin	1995
Opened	October 2001
Coordinates	30°49′42″N 32°19′03″E / 30.828248°N 32.317572°E / 30.828248; 32.317572Coordinates: 30°49′42″N 32°19′03″E / 30.828248°N 32.317572°E / 30.828248; 32.317572

The Suez Canal Bridge, also known as the Shohada 25 January Bridge or the Egyptian-Japanese Friendship Bridge, is a road bridge crossing the Suez Canal at El Qantara. The Arabic "al qantara" means "the bridge". The bridge links the continents of Africa and Asia.

Design and construction

The bridge was built with assistance from the Japanese government. The contractor was PentaOcean Construction.

The Japanese grant, accounting for 60% of the construction cost (or 13.5 billion yen), was agreed to during the visit of then-President Mubarak to Japan in March 1995, as part of a larger project to develop the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt bore the remaining 40% (9 billion yen). The bridge opened in October 2001.

The bridge, which has a 70-metre (230 ft) clearance over the canal and is 3.9 kilometres (2.4 mi) long, consists of a 400-metre (1,300 ft) cable-stayed main span and two 1.8-kilometre (1.1 mi) long approach spans.

The height of the two main pylons supporting the main span is 154 metres (505 ft) each. The towers were designed in the shape of Pharaonic obelisks.

The clearance under the bridge is 70 meters, which defines, therefore, the admissible maximum height of 68 m^[2]above the waterline (Suezmax) of ships that can pass through the Suez Canal.

Significant developments in the region

The Suez Canal Bridge was part of a major drive to develop the areas surrounding the Suez Canal, including other projects such as the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel under the Suez Canal (completed in 1983), the El Ferdan Railway Bridge, and the Suez Canal overhead line crossing.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Suez Canal Bridge at Structurae
2. ^ Art. 52 Rules of Navigation in http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/

External links

• Embassy of Japan in Egypt: Economic Cooperation ( Official Development Assistance, ODA )
• Planning, design and construction aspects of the Suez Canal cable stayed bridge