List of longest suspension bridge spans

This list of suspension bridges ranks the world's suspension bridges by the length of main span (the length of suspended roadway between the towers). The length of main span is the most common method of comparing the sizes of suspension bridges. The length of the main span often correlates with the height of the towers and the engineering complexity involved in designing and constructing the bridge.

Suspension bridges have the longest spans of any type of bridge. Cable-stayed bridges, the next longest design, are practical for spans up to around one kilometer. Thus, the top 14 bridges on this list are also currently the longest 14 spans of all types of vehicular bridges.

Completed suspension bridges

This list only includes bridges that carry automobiles or trains. It does not include cable-stayed bridges, footbridges or pipeline bridges. :"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, nor do they have English-language versions and are linked instead to a reference entry."

:"Note: The main span of The Xihoumen Bridge was completed in 2007, but as of February 24, 2008, it is uncertain if it has been opened for traffic.

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, China || 1,490 ||4,888 || 2005
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| [http://www.humberbridge.co.uk/] || Humber Bridge
(The longest from 1981 until 1998)|| Yangtze River, China || 1,280|| 4,200 || 2007
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|| 1,210 ||3,970 || 1997
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USA || 1,158 ||3,800 || 1957
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Route, Japan ||1,118 ||3,609 || 1989
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|| 1,090 ||3,576 || 1988
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|| Kojima-Sakaide Route, Japan || 990 ||3,248 || 1988
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, United Kingdom || 988 ||3,240 || 1966
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(Yangtze River), China || 960 ||3,150 || 2001
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|| Kobe-Naruto Route, Japan || 876 ||2,874 || 1985
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, USA || 853 ||2,800|| 1950
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(eastbound) || New Castle, DE - Pennsville, NJ, USA || 655 ||2,150 || 1968
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Province, China || 648 ||2,126 || 1999
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, Norway || 623 ||2,044 || 1992
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, NJ, USA ||610 ||2,000 || 1957
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|| 608 ||1,995 || 1959
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, Denmark || 600 ||1,969 || 1970
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|| Chongqing, China || 580 || 1,903 || 2004
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, Norway || 577 ||1,893 || 2001
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, Japan || 570 ||1,870 || 1993
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, Canada || 564 ||1,850 || 1929
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|| New York, NY, (The Bronx - Queens) USA || 549 ||1,800 || 1961
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| [http://www.drpa.org/drpa/drpa_bridges_bf.html] || Benjamin Franklin Bridge (The largest from 1926 until 1929)|| Dazi, China || 500 ||1,640 || 1984
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|| 500 ||1,640 || 2002
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, NY, USA || 497 ||1,632 || 1924
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(The largest from 1903 until 1924) || New York, NY, (Brooklyn - Manhattan) USA || 486 ||1,596 || 1883
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Canada || 473 ||1,550 || 1938
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, Norway || 468 ||1,535 || 1971
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, Japan || 460 ||1,509 || 1977
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, CA, USA ||457 ||1,499 || 1963
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, NY, USA || 456 ||1,495 || 1930
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[http://www.crecg.com/eng3/projects/img/sthwdq.jpgLinked photo] || [http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0001889] * || Shantou Bay Bridge || New York, NY, (Manhattan - Brooklyn) USA || 448 ||1,470 || 1909
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, Norway|| 446 ||1,463 || 1997
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, Canada || 441 ||1,447 || 1955
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|| Namhae, South Korea || 404 ||1,325 || 1973
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[http://en.structurae.de/files/photos/64/aquitaine01.jpgLinked photo] || [http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0002850] * || Aquitaine Bridge || Ogdensburg, NY, USA - Feda, Vest-Agder, Norway|| 335 ||1,100 || 2006
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, USA || 329 ||1,088 || 1939
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[http://www.clevelandbridge.com/otto2.jpgLinked photo] || [http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0004534] * || Otto Beit Bridge || Quebec City, Canada || 323 ||1,059 || 1936
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, USA || 322 ||1,057 || 1867
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, USA || 320 ||1,050 || 1971
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, Germany || 315 ||1,033 || 1951
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, USA || 308 ||1,010 || 1849
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[http://en.structurae.de/files/photos/2521/image264.jpgLinked photo] || [http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0000041] * || Konohana Bridge || Grand-Mère, Canada || 289 ||948 || 1929
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|| 287 ||940 || 1894"Many bridges with shorter span."

Bridges under construction

* Several large suspension bridges are under construction in People's Republic of China. The Nanjing Fourth Yangtze Bridge is under construction with m to ft|1418|abbr=yes|precision=0 main span [http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0032652] , scheduled to be completed in 2010. The Aizhai Bridge is under construction with m to ft|1146|abbr=yes|precision=0 main span [http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0032664] , scheduled to be completed in 2009. The Huangpu Bridge is under construction with m to ft|1108|abbr=yes|precision=0 main span [http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0032657] , scheduled to be completed in 2008. The Balinghe Bridge is under construction near Guanling with m to ft|1088|abbr=yes|precision=0 span [http://koti.kontu.la/jvirola/casu.rtf] , scheduled to be completed in 2009. The Taizhou Bridge is under construction near Taizhou with two m to ft|1080|abbr=yes|precision=0 spans connecting three towers [http://www.dormanlongtechnology.com/index.html] , scheduled to be completed in 2010. Similar Ma'anshan Bridge with two m to ft|1000|abbr=yes|precision=0 main spans is scheduled to be completed in 2010 [http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0032660] . The Beipanjiang Suspension Bridge is under construction with m to ft|888|abbr=yes|precision=0 main span [http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0032659] , scheduled to be completed in 2009.
* The reconstructed eastern section of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge will be the largest self-anchored suspension bridge ever constructed. With one tower, it will have two asymmetric spans of 180 and 385 meters. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2013.

Planned and proposed bridges

* The Sunda Strait Bridge project has been approved by the Indonesian government. If completed, it will not only be the world's longest suspension bridge (26 km), but will also have a main span of about convert|3000|m|ft|abbr=on — roughly fifty percent longer than the current record. [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b971a73c-71c4-11dc-8960-0000779fd2ac.html]
* Several large suspension bridges are planned for China. A suspension bridge is being considered to cross the 22.5 kilometer wide Qiongzhou Strait. [http://www.bridgeweb.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/696/Chinese_province_considers_31km_bridge_or_tunnel_proposal.html] One design consists of four bridges strung together with four main-spans of 2,000 meters, two main-spans of 1,800 meters, five anchorages and 10 towers. [http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&u=http://www.wanfangdata.com.cn/qikan/periodical.Articles/hnlgdxxb/hnlg99/hnlg9911/991109.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DQiongzhou%2BBridge%2BSuspension%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DUEM%26sa%3DN] If completed this bridge will assume six of the top seven slots on this list.
* The İzmit Bay Bridge crossing the Marmara Sea in Turkey with a span of 1,668 m is planned, but construction not yet started.
* The Hardanger Bridge, with a main span of 1,310 m, is to be constructed across the fjord Hardangerfjorden in Norway. Construction is estimated to be completed in 2011. [http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1237846.ece]
* The Chacao Channel bridge connecting the island of Chiloé with mainland Chile. This strange design has two mainspans of 1,055 m and 1,100 m without an anchorage between them. Construction was due to begin in 2007 for completion in 2012, however due to cost overruns the project is now on hold.
*The Strait of Messina Bridge, with a center span of convert|3300|m|ft|abbr=on, was planned to connect Italy and Sicily. The project was cancelled on 11 October 2006 by the Romano Prodi-led government amid controversy concerning the bridge's cost and feared Mafia influence [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6043626.stm] . The new government from 2008 led by Silvio Berlusconi wants to pick up the project again.
* A suspension bridge had been suggested for the Strait of Gibraltar with a long span of several kilometres. The suspension cables for a very long bridge might be suspended from the ends of cable-stayed struts extending diagonally from huge pylons. However as of 2008 a Tunnel is planned instead.

Planned bridges never built

*Construction of the Malta-Gozo Bridge started in the early 1970s, but was stopped after protests from the Gozitans.

Bridges ranked by total length

It is also possible to rank suspension bridges by the total length of suspension. Note that some of these bridges have more than two anchorages, so these are actually multiple bridges. Having more than two towers without a central anchorage could be unstable in some conditions. A modern exception was the design of the proposed Chacao Channel bridge, a project which has been canceled. This innovative bridge was to have two main spans, made possible by the use of a rigid central tower composed of two side-by-side A frames. The stiffness of these frames (as opposed to the flexibility of the usual spar tower) prevents transmission of significant dynamic forces between the mainspans, ensuring dynamic stability in various wind conditions.

# Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge (Japan) 3909 m
# Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge (Japan) 3260 m (suspended sections are not all contiguous)
# Great Seto Bridge (Japan) 3186 m (two bridges with common anchorage)
# San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge (USA) 2822 m (two bridges with common central anchorage)
# Great Belt Bridge (Denmark) 2719 m
# Mackinac Bridge (USA) 2625 m

History of long spans

* Union Bridge (England/Scotland) 137 m - 1820. The longest span from 1820 to 1826. The oldest in the world still in use today.
* Menai Suspension Bridge (north Wales) 176 m - 1826, The longest span from 1826 until 1834.
* Zähringen Bridge (Switzerland) 271 m - 1834. The longest span from 1834 until 1849. The bridge was removed in the 1920s.
* Wheeling Suspension Bridge (USA) 308 m - 1849. The longest span from 1849 until 1851 and from 1864 to 1866
* Lewiston-Queenston Bridge (USA and Canada) 317 m - 1851. The longest cable span from 1851 until it was destroyed by wind in 1864. However, the road deck span was only 258 m.
* John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge (USA) 322 m - 1866. The longest span from 1866 - 1869
* Niagara Clifton Bridge 384 m - 1869. The longest span from 1869 to 1883. Replaced in 1899.
* Brooklyn Bridge (USA) 486 m - 1883. The longest span from 1883 until 1903.
* Williamsburg Bridge (USA) 488 m - 1903. The longest span from 1903 until 1924.
* Bear Mountain Bridge (USA) 497 m - 1924. The longest span from 1924 to 1926. 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 (USA) 533 m - 1926. The longest span from 1926 until 1929.
* Ambassador Bridge (Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada) 564 m - 1929. The longest span from 1929 to 1931.
* George Washington Bridge (USA) 1067 m - 1931. The longest span from 1931 until 1937.
* Golden Gate Bridge (USA) 1,280 m - 1937. The longest span from 1937 until 1964.
* Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (USA) 1,298 m – 1964. The longest span from 1964 until 1981.
* Humber Bridge (UK) 1,410 m - 1981. The longest span from 1981 until 1998.
* Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge (Japan) 1,991 m - 1998. The longest span from 1998 to the present.

Other record holders

* Tacoma Narrows Bridge (USA) 853 m—1950 & 2007. The largest twin suspension bridge in the world.
* Royal Gorge Bridge (USA) 1929 The highest (384 m) suspension bridge in the world.
* Tsing Ma Bridge (Hong Kong) 1,377 m—1997. The longest span carrying road and rail traffic.
* George Washington Bridge (USA). Suspension bridge with the most lanes of traffic—fourteen.

ee also

* List of spans (list of remarkable permanent wire spans)

External links

* [http://www.jb-honshi.co.jp/english/technologies/progress.html Progress of Center Span on Long-Span Bridges] at the Honshu--Shikoku Bridge Expressway Co.

References

:"Note: Some of the information posted on the following sites may differ from that above. As of February 21 2006, the sites were out of date or inaccurate as noted in parenthesis"
* Denenberg, David, [http://www.bridgemeister.com/index.htm Bridgemeister.com] (an extensive inventory of roughly 2,000 suspension bridges)
* Janberg, Nicolas, [http://en.structurae.de/structures/stype/index.cfm?ID=1001 Suspension bridges] , Structurae.de (an extensive database of structures including many suspension bridges)
* Durkee, Jackson, [http://www.aisc.org/Content/ContentGroups/Documents/NSBA5/20_NSBA_LongestSpans.PDF "World's Longest Bridge Spans"] , National Steel Bridge Alliance, May 24, 1999 (out of date)
* [http://www.strettodimessina.it/PontiMenu-e.html The World's Greatest Bridges] , The Bridge over the Strait of Messina (out of date and other errors)
* [http://www.pubquizhelp.34sp.com/misc/bridges.html List of longest spans] , Pub Quiz Help (includes bridges that have not yet been completed)
* [http://www.sbi.se/uploaded/dokument/files/Steel%20Bridges%20by%20SBI_ver3.03.pdf Steel bridges in the world, and other bridge statistics] , The Swedish Institute of Steel Construction, March, 2003 (out of date)
* Virola, Eur Ing Juhani, [http://www.atse.org.au/index.php?sectionid=483 Two Millennia - Two Long-Span Suspension Bridges] , Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, ATSE Focus No 124, November/December 2002 (revised information up to date as of 2005)