Rion Antirrion Bridge

Type of Project
The Rion Antirrion Bridge is a five-span four pylon cable stayed bridge 2,880m long
The bridge joins Rio and Antirrio, which could only previously be reached by ferry via the isthumus of Corinth
It has two vehicle lanes per direction, and emergency lane and a pedestrian walkway.
It has the worlds second longest cable stayed deck. The Millau Viaduct in France (also an OMEGA case study) is the longest.
The bridge is considered an engineering masterpiece owing to the challenges overcome including: deep water, high levels of sesimic activity in the Gulf of Corinth and poor site geology
Construction
The bridge was planned in the mid-1990's. Site preparation and dredging began in July 1998. The supporting pylons were complete in 2003. The bridge was inaugurated on August 7, 2004, a week before the opening of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
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Mid-Bay Bridge

The quickest way to Destin and the beaches of South Walton is the Choctawhatchee Mid-Bay Bridge. Save time by taking the Mid-Bay Bridge straight from Hwy. 20 in Niceville to Hwy. 98 in Destin. That’s a lot more time to enjoy the beach, and the scenery is beautiful! Toll required.

The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California

The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, one of the world's most beautiful bridges.
The bridge crosses the Golden Gate Strait which is the entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean.
The length of the steel wires used in the cables of the bridge is enough to circle the earth three times!

The Pfluger Bridge

The Pfluger Bridge Extension project will extend the bicycle and pedestrian bridge to the north over Cesar Chavez Street, connecting Town Lake with the Sixth and Lamar Market District.
The bridge extension is an integral part of the new north-south route for bicyclists and pedestrians: from the Pfluger Bridge, across the bridge extension, over Cesar Chavez Street, through the future Gables site to the Bowie Pedestrian Underpass and up to W. Third Street.
There will be an open house on June 7, 2008 from 8 - 11 a.m. on the north end of the bridge to review and provide input on design elements for the extension project.

San Diego-Coronado Bridge

The San Diego-Coronado Bridge is a 2.12-mile bridge that spans San Diego Bay and connects the City of San Diego with the City of Coronado. It is the main way of access to Coronado's beaches and the North Island Naval Air Station, as well as the Silver Strand isthmus that connects Coronado to Imperial Beach and the mainland.

The bridge can be accessed via Interstate 5 in the Barrio Logan neighborhood, just north of National City. It rises and descends in a sweeping curve that terminates at Fourth Avenue in Coronado.
When was it built?:
Construction of the bridge started in 1967 and opened on Aug. 3, 1969. Robert Mosher was the primary architect of the structure, which uses orthotropic steel, a thin, tubelike design for efficiency and grace. The structure uses the world's longest continuous box girder to conceal the braces, joints, and stiffeners normally visible in other bridges. Mosher says he designed the 30 arched towers after Balboa Park's Cabrillo Bridge.
Why is it noteworthy?:
The opening of the bridge eliminated the longtime vehicle ferries that crossed San Diego Bay and provided quick and easy access to Coronado. The graceful and clean architecture and blue paint has made the bridge San Diego's most notable landmark and symbol. Archtect Mosher claims the 90 degree curve is by necessity: span long enough so it can rise to a height of 200 feet and a 4.67% grade, allowing even the Navy's aircraft carrier can sail under. In 1970, it received the Most Beautiful Bridge Award of Merit of the American Institute of Steel Construction.
Facts & figures?:
Cost: $ 47.6 million. The former toll bridge paid off its construction bonds in 1986, and the $1 toll as eliminated in 2002. The bridge has five lanes of traffic and carries 85,000 cars daily. The 34-inch-high concrete barrier railings are low enough to permit an unobstructed view from vehicles on the roadway. The shipping channels are spanned by the world's longest continuous three-span box girder, 1,880 feet. The towers rest on 487 prestressed reinforced concrete piles. In the 1976 the bridge was retrofitted with special rods to protect against earthquake damage.
Did you know?:
Under the roadway is a steel-mesh catwalk built to facilitate bridge maintenance. Caltrans conducts routine inspections to detect concrete flaking and exposed bare metal surfaces.
Painting the bridge is a never-ending job. A six-person crew works year-round to keep it protected from corrosive ocean breezes. The blue color was chosen to blend with sky and sea.
Architect Mosher took a piece of string to map out the crossing points of the bridge and to determine the curve and the state requirements for the bridge, as the span needed to be a bit more than two miles long, making a straight path impossible.
It is supposedly the third deadliest suicide bridge in the U.S., trailing only San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge Seattle's Aurora Bridge. Since 1969, 254 people have jumped off the bridge, which is 240 feet high at its apex. Nine survived.

henderson waves, southern ridges, singapore

henderson waves’ is singapore’s highest pedestrian bridge and can be found at the southern ridges, a beautiful 9km stretch of gardens and parks which has frequently drawn comparisons to new york’s central park. the bridge itself is absolutely stunning. the deck is made from thousands of balau wood slats, perfectly cut and arranged, and along the length of the deck a huge snaking, undulating shell cleverly forms sheltered seating areas on every upward curve. if i was to make sweet love to a bridge, this would be the one.

beipanjiang river railroad bridge, guizhou, china

beipanjiang river railroad bridge in guizhou is an enormous railway bridge that was built as part of the much larger ‘guizhou-shuibai railway project’ (pdf). connecting 2 mountains over a deep ravine, at its highest point the bridge’s deck sits 918ft above the ground (to compare, at its highest point the millau viaduct’s deck clears the river underneath by 890ft). the bridge has succeeded in connecting 2 of the country’s poorest areas

rolling bridge, london, u.k.

thomas heatherwick’s award-winning rolling bridge is an ingenious addition to the grand union canal system in london and is unique in its design. unlike regular movable canal bridges, the rolling bridge curls up on itself to form an octagon by way of hydraulics. it’s an amazing sight and a reminder that a fresh perspective can produce great, innovative results, even when dealing with a structure as common as a bridge.

juscelino kubitschek bridge, brasilia, brazil

the jk bridge in brasilia is a lesson in elegant bridge design. the 3 huge arches diagonally hopping over the deck of the bridge give the structure an amazing visual fluidity and make the whole 1.2km bridge look effortlessly cool. since being built the bridge has won awards for its design but is still massively underappreciated on a wider scale. i reckon this must be one of the best bridges around.

The Forth Rail Bridge

Photograph of the Forth Rail Bridge.
One of the most spectacular man-made landmarks in Scotland is the Forth Rail Bridge.
The cantilever bridge, built by Sir William Arrol, crosses the River Forth between South Queensferry and North Queensferry.

Bright Lights and Black Tie at Tower Bridge

Bright Lights and Black Tie at Tower Bridge
250 alumni and guests have registered for Bright Lights and Black Tie at Tower Bridge. The reception will begin at 7pm and will officially close at 9pm. From 9pm until 11pm alumni are invited to play for prizes in our fun casino as night falls on the capital. Catch up with old friends and enjoy the stunning views of London from 45 metres above the River Thames.
Bright Lights and Black Tie at Tower Bridge Attendance List.
Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames since 1894 and has become known as one of the London's most famous attractions and one of the finest, most recognisable bridges in the World. Taking eight years and using 11,000 tons of steel, building the Bridge was a massive feat. Find out more about Tower Bridge.
Tickets to Bright Lights and Black Tie at Tower Bridge have sold out. The waiting list is now open and will be created on a first-come-first-served basis. Should tickets become available through the waiting list, alumni will be contacted to confirm their booking and to provide payment information.
Join the waiting list.
Starts: 11 May 2007Start Time: 7pmFinish Time: 11pmVenue: Tower BridgeCost: GBP25Contact: Claire O'Sullivan. Tel: 0121 414 4139. Fax: 0121 414 5621. Email: c.f.osullivan@bham.ac.uk

Coolest bridges of the world

For our slide show of the world's most iconic bridges, click here. (Hint: The super-gorgeous photos are the last five in the slide show.)
And let us know if there's a cool bridge we've left off by mistake.

Calatrave, Bridges and Moral Rights

When the 1990 Architectural Works Protection Act was being drafted, the question of what constituted an architectural work was an important one. I had become infatuated with bridge designs, from the great Swiss Christian Menn to the contemporary Spanish designer, Santiago Calatrava (see this wonderful wikipedia entry on him). I bought books on both for the study I did on architecture as a Policy Planning Advisor in the Copyright Office. To me the works of these designers and others were not only art, but great art. Calatrava's bridge at Bilbao (see here) is art by anyone's definition. In New York City, he designed the new Path transportation Station at the World Trade Center, and has designed a wild apartment building at 80 South Street consisting of stacked cubes. (See here). Despite his training as an engineer, Mr. Calatrava asserts that function follows form, and there can be no doubt that his works are sculptural.Like Frank Lloyd Wright and other architects, there is also no doubt Mr. Calatrava's works suffer from defects in practicality, and tend to need a lot of repairing. Calatrava has recently sued Bilbao over changes to his bridge, including an extension by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. An article in the UK newspaper The Independent spells out the dispute. Here is a link to the full article, and here is a relevant excerpt:Calatrava is renowned worldwide for his soaring, airy bridges, and, in the case presented by lawyers in Bilbao's law courts yesterday, he claims that the new link "breaks the symmetry of the bridge, clumsily distorts the design... and damages the integrity of his work". He is demanding €250,000 compensation and the dismantling of Isozaki's extension, or, if the new link remains, - €3m for "moral damages". Initially ridiculed for "leading from nowhere to nowhere", Calatrava's footbridge is beautiful, but not exactly user-friendly. Its limpid glass floor tiles, designed to reflect the grey-green waters of the river Nervion that flow beneath, are notoriously slippery when wet. For 10 years residents and visitors have complained of skidding and tumbling. The city authorities who approved Isozaki's housing complex and his bridge link vigorously disagree. "The paintings of Goya are works of art; a bridge is for people to walk on," insisted Bilbao's mayor, Iñaki Azkuna. Without the bridge link, pedestrians would have to walk down to the old riverside jetty, then up two flights of steps. Mr Askuna concedes that a metre of banister was removed from Calatrava's bridge to accommodate Isozaki's extension, but reckons "this has no negative impactwhatsoever upon Calatrava's work", and that the structures co-exist harmoniously. Calatrava's lawyer, Fernando Villalonga, thinks otherwise. "This mustn't happen, because in this country, architecture, like other arts, is protected by intellectual property rights," he said. Mr Villalonga accused the town hall of "cheek, arrogance and ignorance". To which Mr Azkuna countered that all 560 glass tiles of Calatrava's bridge have cracked over the years, ravaged by the extremes of climate, and had to be replaced at the cost to taxpayers of €200,000. "If it's his intellectual property, let him take his intellectual property," fumed Mr Azkuna in the spring, when Calatrava launched his suit. "We've had enough of the dictatorship of Calatrava saying we can't touch his little bridge. We've had enough of this superstar."

River Severn and the Severn Bridges

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Ref Number: 42-12-6
Photographer: Ian Britton
Camera: FUJIFILM , FinePixS1Pro
Date: Aug 21, 2001 9:22:56 AM
Location: 51.569414, -2.664152
View Images taken at the same location
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42-00-0 42-12-0 m4

The amazing Hangzhou Bay Bridge

One of the masterpieces of modern architecture, the fantastic Hangzhou Bay Bridge has been opened to the public since May 2008. The Bridge is an S-shaped stayed-cable bridge with six lanes in both directions and is linking Ningbo's Cixi county in the south to Jiaxing in the north.
The longest sea-crossing bridge in the worldIt is the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world - 36 kilometres (22 mi) long - and shortens the distance between Shanghai and Ningbo by 120 km. This fantastic bridge crossing the Hangzhou Bay is expected to have a 100-year lifespan, and has a price tag of 11.8 billion yuan (US$1.70 billion).
Toll fee is 80 yuanThe toll fee is 80 yuan per vehicle. As the bridge has six lanes in both directions, you can be quite sure that you will have a smooth ride.
The speed limit is 100 km/62 mi.
600 experts spent nine years…The first preparations for planning the bridge started a decade ago; close to 600 experts spent nine years on designing the Hangzhou Bay Bridge. Chief Commander of the Hangzhou Bay Bridge project is Mr Wang Yong. The bridge was linked 2007 and an opening ceremony was held on 26th June but first almost one year later, after several tests and evaluations, Hangzhou Bay Bridge was open to the public.