Did you know the longest bridge in the world is the Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge located in China, and spanning 165 kilometers (102.4 miles)?

The bridge, which is part of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, opened in June 2011 and it spans 102.4 miles (165 kilometers). Another part of that train line, the 70.8-mile (114-km) long Langfang–Qingxian viaduct, is the second longest bridge in the world. China constructed the Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge in just 4 years, employing 10,000 workers, at a cost of about $8.5 million. It crosses low rice paddies, part of the Yangtze River Delta, with just a few miles of the bridge actually crossing the open water of Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou. The bridge averages about 100 feet (31 meters) off the ground.

The following are some other longest bridges in the world currently with four of the seven being based in China, one in Thailand and the remaining two in USA.

🔴 TIAJIN GRAND BRIDGE, China | The bridge is 113.7km long running between Langfang and Qingxian part of the Beijing-Shanghai railway. It is the second longest bridge in the world, as recorded by the Guinness world record in 2011. It runs between the towns Langfang and Qingzian, its main location being Hebei town in Tianjin. It took four years to complete.

🔴 WEINAN WEIHE GRAND BRIDGE, China | This viaduct is a part of the Zhengzhou-Xi’an high speed railway. It is 79.7km long, crossing the Wei River twice, and several other rivers, and other transport passes. It has been standing the longest bridge since its completion in 2008, but was surpassed by two others after their construction in 2010. It was officially opened on 2010. It is also meant for high-speed rail.

🔴 BANG NA EXPRESSWAY, Thailand | This overpass was completed in January 2000. It is 55km long, and 27metres wide. It was designed by Jean Muller (USA). It does not cross a big water mass in most of its length. It only crosses over the Bang Pakong River, and it is open for road traffic.

🔴 BEIJING GRAND BRIDGE, China | This bridge is 48.15km long, and it’s located in Beijing, connecting Beijing to Shanghai. It serves the High-speed railway transport. It was completed in 2010, and was opened officially in 2011.

🔴 MANCHAC SWAMP BRIDGE, Louisiana, U.S. | The Manchac Swamp Bridge is a twin concrete trestle bridge in the US state of Louisiana. It is located around Lake Pontchartrain, a lake well known for its incredibly long bridges, as you will see in a moment. Although the bridge is totally safe to drive on, Louisiana legend says that the bridge is haunted by a Cajun werewolf known as a “Rougarou” and a voodoo princess. However, despite these spooky tales, the only thing that drivers should be cautious of is not to get too close to the alligators that make a home on the waters under the bridge.

🔴 LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN CAUSEWAY, Louisiana, U.S. | The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, or the Causeway, is considered to be the longest bridge in the United States and the longest bridge in the world over water (continuous). It consists of two parallel bridges crossing Lake Pontchartrain in southern Louisiana. The longer of the two bridges is 23.83 miles (38.35 km) long. There was some controversy with Guinness over the title of the longest bridge over water. For over 10 years, Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was listed in the book for being the longest bridge over water. 

However, in 2011, Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in China was given the title of the longest bridge over water. Lake Pontchartrain record holders in the U.S. disputed this with Guinness stating that the causeway ran for 23.79 miles over water; therefore, it was the longest. Guinness ended the controversy by creating two categories, one for the longest bridge (continuous), which was given to Lake Pontchartrain, and longest bridge (aggregate), which was given to Jiazhou.

SOURCE: Live Science

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