China is about to open the world's longest sea bridge - here are the 12 longest bridges in the world

Leanna GarfieldApr 25, 2018, 00:14 IST

Reuters

This summer, China is expected to open its long-awaited Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, a 34-mile highway that connects three major cities across the country.

The bridge features six lanes and four tunnels, one of which is underwater. It's an impressive megaproject, but it's nowhere near as large as the 102-mile-long Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge, which is considered the longest in the world.

Take a look at some of the most extraordinary bridge projects in cities around the globe.

See China is about to open the world's longest sea bridge - here are the 12 longest bridges in the world >>

Linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, the King Fahd Causeway Bridge opened in 1986 and measures 16 miles long.

Source: Arab News

But most of the world's longest bridges are in China. The Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, for example, spans 16.6 miles and connects the eastern city of Qingdao to the island of Huangdao.

The bridge is part of the larger Jiaozhou Bay Connection Project, a 25.8-mile expressway along the coastline of the bay, according to The Guardian.

Also in China, the Donghai Bridge has a long, narrow speedway that measures 20.2 miles. It connects Shanghai and Zhejiang and was completed in 2005.

Source: Shanghai Daily

The Runyang Yangtze River Bridge — which crosses the Yangtze River in the Chinese province of Jiangsu — actually consists of two bridges. The island of Shiyezhou sits in the middle of the 22.1-mile-long complex.

Source: China Daily

When China's 22.1-mile Hangzhou Bay Bridge opened in 2008, it cut the travel time from Ningbo and Shanghai in half, from four hours to two.

Source: People's Daily

A twin, concrete bridge in Louisiana called the Manchac Swamp Bridge stretches 22.8 miles long. It opened in 1979.

Source: Atlas Obscura

Two parallel bridges crossing Louisiana's brackish estuary make up the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. The longer of the two bridges is 23.8 miles.

Source: Louisiana Civil Engineering Conference

Completed in late 2017, the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge in China is the world's longest bridge to traverse an ocean. It is expected to span 34 miles when it opens in July.

Source: The AFP

In Thailand, the Bang Na Expressway is a six-lane elevated highway that's considered the world's longest road bridge. From end to end, it measures 34 miles.

Source: PCI Journal

The 70.6-mile-long Tianjin Grand Bridge is part of the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway in China. It runs between Langfang and Qingxian.

Source: Guinness World Records

In Taiwan, a series of arches helps hold up the Changhua-Kaohsiung Viaduct's railway track. Completed in 2007, the project is 97.8 miles in length.

Source: The China Post

Extending 102.4 miles, China's Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge claims the title of the world's longest bridge. The construction process employed 10,000 workers, lasted four years, cost about $8.5 billion, and ended in 2010.

Source: The New York Times

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