Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge

The Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge, which connects the island of Oshima to the main part of Shikoku, is the world's longest suspension bridge structure and was completed in 1999.

Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge

Carries                                            4 lanes of roadway, moped lane, bicycle/pedestrian lane

Crosses                                           Seto Inland Sea

Locale                                             Imabari, Ehime, Japan

Design                                             Suspension bridge

Total length                                     4,015 metres (13,173 ft)

Width                                             27 metres (89 ft)

Beginning date of construction         May 15, 1988

Opening date                                  May 1, 1999

The bridge is part of the Shimanami Kaido, an expressway that spans a series of islands and connects Hiroshima Prefecture in Honshu to Ehime Prefecture in Shikoku. The bridge and the expressway were both conceived by the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Project.

Construction

The Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge consists of three successive suspension bridges with six towers and four anchorages. There is a shared anchorage that joins each suspension bridge to the next. Its construction is similar to the western portion of San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge which is two successive suspension bridges with four towers and one shared anchorage. The bridge's total length of 4,015 metres (13,173 ft), is just a little longer than the total length of the two tower Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, which is 3,911 metres (12,831 ft).

First Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge, main span 600 metres (1,969 ft).

Second Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge, main span 1,020 metres (3,346 ft).

Third Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge, main span 1,030 metres (3,379 ft).