A sight to behold: the longest bridges on Earth

Yunnan Province in China is opening an incredible suspension bridge that is purported to break multiple world records. The 2,618 ft (798 m) bridge hangs over the steep Lvzhijiang valley, more than a thousand feet (320 m) above the ground. The bridge is a feat of engineering in that it relies on only one support column, and a few cables connecting it to the mountain at either end. It truly appears to defy gravity. It is thought to be the world's first single-tower, single-span suspension bridge.

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Manchac Swamp Bridge -

Coming in at number 10 is the Manchac Swamp Bridge in the United States. The bridge stretches 36,710 meters long (approx. 120,400 ft).

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Manchac Swamp Bridge - Built in 1979, the bridge stretches over the Manchac swamp in the state of Louisiana.

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Manchac Swamp Bridge - The bridge has a fair bit of folklore. The swamp waters are apparently home to alligators, and there are urban myths about werewolves and even a voodoo princess.

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Line 1, Wuhan Metro Bridge - Line 1 of this metro is the longest continuous viaduct in the world.

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Line 1, Wuhan Metro Bridge - The metro is located in the city of Wuhan in China.

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Line 1, Wuhan Metro Bridge - The viaduct opened in 2004, and is 37,788 meters (approx. 124,000 ft) long in totality.

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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway - Opened in 1956, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is one of the longest bridges in the United States.

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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway - The bridge is located in Louisiana. It stretches from the region of Metairie and goes across Lake Pontchartrain.

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Lake Pontchartrain Causeway - The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway goes across to the small city of Mandeville. The bridge is around 38,442 meters (approx. 126,122 ft) long.

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Beijing Grand Bridge - The Beijing Grand Bridge stretches over 48,000 meters (approx. 157,982 ft) over Chinese land. High-speed trains run across the bridge, which is part of the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway.

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Beijing Grand Bridge - The viaduct connects Beijing South railway station with the city of Langfang.

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Bang Na Expressway - The Bang Na Expressway is located in Thailand and is around 54,000 meters (approx. 177,165 ft) long.

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Bang Na Expressway - From 2000 to 2004, the Bang Na Expressway was considered the longest bridge in the world.

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Bang Na Expressway - It doesn’t cross water, but the viaduct is built above land.

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Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge -

This bridge is part of the Zhengzhou–Xi’an high-speed railway. It is around 79,732 meters (approx. 261,587 ft) long.

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Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge - The bridge was finished in 2008. When construction was completed, it was labeled the world’s longest bridge.

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Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge - The railway opened in 2010, and crosses the Wei River on two occasions.

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Tianjin Grand Bridge -

The Tianjin Grand Bridge is around 113,700 meters (approx. 373,000 ft) long. It carries the lightning-fast Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway. It previously held the Guinness record for the world’s second-longest bridge.

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Tianjin Grand Bridge - The bridge is located in the province of Hebei in China.

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Cangde Grand Bridge - The Candge Grand Bridge runs between Beijing and Shanghai. It is a total 115,900 meters (approx. 380,249 ft) long.

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Cangde Grand Bridge - The bridge was apparently built to withstand outstanding pressure from earthquakes.

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Cangde Grand Bridge - High-speed trains run along the bridge. Construction was completed in 2010.

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Changhua-Kaohsiung Viaduct -

The world’s second-longest bridge is the Changhua-Kaohsiung Viaduct in Taiwan.

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Changhua-Kaohsiung Viaduct - The bridge runs from the town of Baguashan to Zuoying, a district in southwestern Taiwan. The bridge opened for service in 2007, yet there’s only been one bridge since that has overtaken its 157,317 meters (approx. 516,131 ft) in length.

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Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge -

The Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge. It is the longest in the world, covering a distance of 164,800 meters (540,682 ft).

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Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge - The bridge is part of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway.

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Longest bridges -

The Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge apparently took 10,000 contractors four years to build.

A sight to behold: the longest bridges on Earth

Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in China is the longest bridge in the world

11/10/24 | StarsInsider

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No matter where you are in the world, bridges are pretty important. They have connected small villages with sprawling cities, and provided links between countries and continents across our planet.
Currently, the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in China holds the title of the longest bridge in the world, with an impressive length of 102,4 miles (164,8 kilometers). It connects Shanghai and Nanjing.

If that piques your interest, let's move on and take a look at the longest bridges on Earth! Click through the gallery to get started.