A suspension bridge is one of today’s engineering marvels that takes a great role in a country’s economic growth. It is a type of bridge where the load-bearing portion is hung from suspension cables. As early as the 7th century, simple suspension bridges (without vertical suspenders) where already in use in Central America. In the early 19th century, iron chains are used as cables in suspension bridges but were later replaced by high tensile strength cables. Modern day bridges use steel that are individually bound together as cables. These suspension bridges are ideal for covering busy waterways. Here are today’s world’s 15 longest suspension bridges.

1. The George Washington Bridge

   

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   The George Washington Bridge is a suspension bridge that run across the Hudson River, connecting Manhattan in New York City to Fort Lee in New Jersey. Completed in 1931,the GWB which span 1,067 meters (3,500 ft) is the fourth longest suspension bridge in the United States. It is considered one of the world’s busiest bridges in terms of vehicle traffic. The bridge has two levels; an upper level with four lanes in each direction and a lower level with three lanes in each direction. 

2. The Bogazici Bridge

   

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   The Bogazici Bridge, also called the Bosphorus Bridge is a gravity anchored suspension bridge that links Europe and Asia. Completed in 1973, it has a main span of 1,510 m (4,954 ft) with a 64 m (210 ft) sea level clearance. Located in Istanbul, Turkey, the bridge has three lanes for vehicular traffic and an emergency lane in each direction for a total of eight lanes. Today, around 180,000 vehicles (almost 85% are cars) pass daily in both directions.

3. The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge

   

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   The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge runs across the Bosphorus strait. Completed in 1988, it is a 1,510 m (3,576 ft) long bridge that links Hisarüstü (European side) and Kavacık (Asian side).The bridge has four lanes for vehicular traffic plus one emergency lane in each direction. Today, around 150,000 vehicles (almost 65% are cars) are passing daily in both directions. 

4. The Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge

   

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   The Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge is a suspension bridge connecting Okayama and Kagawa prefectures in Japan. It has a center span of 1,100 meters (3,609 ft). The Minami and Kita Bisan-Seto Bridge was completed in 1988 as a part of the Seto Ohashi Bridge, which will link  the Island of Yoshima and Bannosu on the Island of Shikoku. The bridge contains an upper level for vehicular traffic and a lower level for railway traffic.

5. The Mackinac Bridge

   

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   The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac and linksMichigan’s  non- adjoining Upper and Lower peninsulas. At 8,614 feet (2,626 m), it is the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western hemisphere. “Big Mac” as it is commonly called link St, Ignace City on the north side with the village of Mackinaw City on the south. Completed in 1957, Mackinac Bridge’s main span is 3,800 feet (1,158 m) long and 552 feet above the Straits of Mackinac. Today, more than 100 million vehicles had crossed the bridge.

6. The High Coast Bridge

   

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   The High Coast Bridge is a suspension bridge crossing the mouth of the Angermanalven River near Veda, northern Sweden. The bridge that was completed in 1997, is Europe’s  third longest suspension bridge. It is 1,867 meters (6,125 ft) long and has a 1,210 meters (3,970 ft) main span.

7. The Golden Gate Bridge

   

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   The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge that connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula to Marin County. The bridge that has become a well-known symbol of San Francisco and California was completed in 1937. It is 1,280m (4,200 ft) long and is currently  the second longest suspension bridge main span in the United States, after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City.

8. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

   

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   The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a two-level suspension bridge that connects the region of Staten Island and Brooklyn on Long Island in New York City at the Narrows. Located at the mouth of upper New York Bay, the bridge is a vital link in the interstate highway system. Completed in 1964, the bridge has a center span of 4,260 feet (1,298) m. In Brooklyn, the bridge links to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the Belt Parkway  to the highly residential community of Bay Ridge. On Staten Island, it connects the Staten Island Expressway, providing access to many communities in the city’s five municipalities.

9. The Tsing Ma Bridge

   

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   The Tsing Ma Bridge is a two-level suspension bridge located in Hong Kong. The bridge has a center span of 1,377 meters (4,518 ft) and a height of 206 meters (676 ft). Completed in 1997, Tsing Ma Bridge is currently the world’s largest bridge carrying both vehicles and rail traffic. The bridge upper level has three car lanes in each direction while its lower level contains two rail tracks. There are also two sheltered carriageways on the lower deck for maintenance access and as backup for traffic. 

10. The Jiangyin Suspension Bridge

    

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    The Jiangyin is a suspension Bridge that connects China’s two major cities: Jiangyin and Jingjiang. Jiangyin bridge has a main span of 1,385 meters (4,544 ft) and is China’s third largest suspension bridge. Strategically located in Jiangsu Province, the bridge carries the traffic from two national expressways; Tongjiang-Sanya Expressway on the east coast and the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway on the west. This six lanes suspension bridge was opened on September 28, 1999.

11. The Humber Bridge

    

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    The Humber Bridge is a suspension bridge that runs across the Humber River linking the North Lincolnshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire. The bridge has a main span of 1,410 meters (4,626 ft) and a total length of 2,220 meters was officially opened on 17 July 1981. The bridge carries an average of 120,000 vehicles per week and on February 8, 2002 the 100,000,000th vehicle passed over the bridge.

12. The Runyang Bridge

    

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    The Runyang Bridge is a large bridge complex that span the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province, China. The complex contain two major bridges that connect Zhenjiang on the river’s side end and Yangzhou on the north.The south bridge has a main span of 1,490 meters (4,888 ft) containing 6 traffic lanes while the north bridge has a main span of 406 meters (1,332 ft). The complex was opened to traffic on April 30, 2005.

13. The Great Belt Bridge

    

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    The Great Belt Bridge is a suspension bridge that links the islands of Zealand and Funen in Denmark. The bridge has a main span of 1,624m (5,328 ft) was completed in 1998 . In 2005, more than 9 million vehicles had crossed the bridge.  

14. The Xihoumen Bridge

    

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    The Xihoumen Bridge is a suspension bridge that links two of China’s biggest off-shore island group namely; Jintang and Cezi islands. The bridge main span that is 1,650 meters long was completed in December 2007. Xihoumen Bridge is the second-longest suspension bridge ranked by the length of the center span. It was built at a cost of 2.48 billion yuan (approximately US$363 million).

15. The Akashi-Bridge Kobe

    

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    The Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge, also known as the Pearl Bridge, is the world’s longest suspension bridge that has a center span of 1,991 meters (6,532 feet). The bridge spans the Akashi Strait and connects the city of Kobe on the mainland of Honshū to Iwaya on Awaji Island. High Japanese government officials opened the bridge to the public in 1998.