Bridges are one of the main and oldest source of
passing throw the rivers, sea or rocky area. In early ages bridges are
mde from the rocks and stone but the passing of time the technology and
engineering becomes more advance and acurate. Today we have the numbers
of different types of bridges around the world of different types like
Beam, Arch bridge, Suspension/Cable-stayed bridge and Cantilever. The
article brings the world's most extreme bridges which are unique and
amazing due to their construction, engineering and architechture.
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The Immortal Bridge (China)
Mount Tai in the Shandon Province of China has had cultural and
religious significance for thousands of years. It is one of the five
sacred mountains of China and is associated with the dawn, birth and
renaissance. As you progress up the mountain you will come across this –
The Immortal Bridge. This Bridge is composed of three huge rocks and
several smaller ones. Below it is a valley and to the south is a
seemingly bottomless abyss. No one knows quite when these enormous rocks
fell into their current place but it is quite likely they have been like
this since the last ice age.
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The Old Bridge of Konitsa (Greece)
This centuries-old bridge in Greece spans the river Aoos, which is full
in winter. If you look carefully to the right under the top of the
bridge, you can see a small bell. Villagers say that when there is
enough wind to make the bell sound, it is too dangerous to cross the
bridge.
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The Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge (Ireland)
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is a rope suspension bridge near Ballintoy,
County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The bridge links the mainland to the
tiny Carrick Island. The site is owned and maintained by the National
Trust, spans twenty metres and is thirty metres above the rocks below.
Todaythe bridge is mainly a tourist attraction, with 247,000 visitors in
2009. When it's windy, this is truly an exhilarating experience –
terrifying (if you're afraid of heights) but exhilarating.
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Royal Gorge Bridge (Colorado)
The Royal Gorge Bridge is a tourist attraction near Cañon City,
Colorado, within a 360-acre (150 ha) theme park. The bridge deck hangs
955 feet (291 m) above the Arkansas River, and held the record of
highest bridge in the world from 1929 until 2003, when it was surpassed
by the Beipanjiang River 2003 Bridge in China. It is a suspension bridge
with a main span of 938 feet (286 m). The bridge is 1,260 feet (384 m)
long and 18 feet (5.5 m) wide, with a wooden walkway with 1292 planks.
The bridge is suspended from towers that are 150 feet (46 m) high.
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Inca Rope Bridge (Inca Empire, Peru)
Inca rope bridges were simple suspension bridges over canyons and gorges
(pongos) to provide access for the Inca Empire. Bridges of this type
were suitable for use since the Inca people did not use wheeled
transport - traffic was limited to pedestrians and livestock. These
bridges were an integral part on the Inca road system and are an example
of Inca innovation in engineering. They were frequently used by Chasqui
runners delivering messages throughout the Inca Empire.
The Incas used natural fibers found within the local vegetation to build
bridges. These fibers were woven together creating a strong enough rope
and were reinforced with wood creating a cable floor. Each side was then
attached to a pair of stone anchors on each side of the canyon with
massive cables of woven grass linking these two pylons together. Adding
to this construction, two additional cables acted as guardrails. The
cables which supported the foot-path were reinforced with plaited
branches. This multi-structure system made these bridges strong enough
to even carry the Spaniards while riding horses after they arrived.
However, these massive bridges were so heavy that they tended to sag in
the middle, and this caused them to sway in strong winds. Part ofthe
bridge 's strength and reliability came from the fact that each cable
was replaced every year by local villagers as part of their mita public
service or obligation. In some instances, these local peasants had the
sole task of maintaining and repairing these bridges so that the Inca
highways or road systems could continue to function. The greatest
bridges of this kind resided in the Apurimac Canyon along the main road
north from Cuzco.
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Pulau Langkawi's Suspended Bridge (Malaysia)
This sky bridge spans around the gorge on Pulau Langkawi, which is the
largest island in the Langkawi archipelago, Malaysia. It's suspended at
687 m above sea level, offering magnificent views of the Andaman Sea and
Thailand's Tarutao Island. The view fromthe bridge is really
breathtaking – its curves provide different perspectives of the
landscapes. The Sky Bridge is one of the most spectacular bridges in the
world that delivers quite a pump of adrenaline. This unique cable-stayed
bridge is suspended by only one support column. This 95-yard column is
held up by 8 load-balancing cables. The curved pedestrian bridge spans
125 m across a spectacular chasm. The bridge is 136 yards long and 2
yards wide. The 1.8 m-wide Sky Bridge had two 3.6 m-wide triangular
platforms that provided a spectacular viewing area for visitors. And
remember when in the front ofthe bridge, you are standing 687 m above
sea level. |
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Puente de Ojuela (Mexico)
Ojuela was a small mining settlement located northwest of the city of
Durango, Durango, in northern Mexico. The settlement is now well known
as a ghost town as a result of the mineral ore being exhausted. The only
surviving and functional structure is asuspension bridge. The bridge is
known as "Puente de Ojuela" (Ojuela Bridge) by the locals. The original
bridge was designed by the famous Roebling brothers, who also designed
the Brooklyn Bridge. At the time of construction, the Puente de Ojuela
was the third longest suspension bridge in the world . It was rebuilt
recently by the Peñoles Company, the original was scrapped and only the
main arches are now displayed at the Torreón Exposition Center. |
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Hussaini Hanging Bridge (Pakistan)
Known as the most dangerous bridge in the world, the Hussaini Hanging
Bridge is only one of many precarious rope bridges in Northern Pakistan.
For most of the citizens, the only way to travel was by walking across
mountain passes to Rawalpindi. In 1978, the Karakoram Highway was
completed and the region was connected, but inter-region travel remains
as difficult as it was 100 years ago. Regular aspects of travel through
this region include the rickety cable and plank bridges which cross
Northern Pakistan's mountain streams and rivers. Among these is the
Hussaini HangingBridge, crossing Borit Lake in the Upper Hunza. This
rope bridge is both long and poorly maintained. Many planks are missing,
and strong winds shake the bridge as you cross it. It does little to
ease nerves that a previous, older, broken bridge hangs in tatters next
to the "new" one.
Despite its dangerous looks, however, the Hussaini is a relatively safe
bridge and has become something of a tourist draw, with hikers testing
their nerves as they carefully work their way across.
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Vitim River Bridge (Siberia)
This broad river is the Vitim River in Siberia, Russia. The bridge
that's provided to get you across is made of wood and not in a very good
condition. It's only wide enough for one car but it's 570 meter (1870
feet) so it takes good 3 minutes to drive across it if you're a skilled
driver. If you're not so skilled, you could be looking at a 15 meters
drop into the Vitim River, which ain't no fun. And that's really
nothing. Vitim RiverBridge is in Russian Siberia. For those who don't
know this region, it gets brutally cold there most of the year with
temperatures way below Northern Ontario and everything covered in snow
and ice. Thisbridge turns into an icicle with no traction yet locals
drive up and down this bridge as it's often their only way across Vitim
River.
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Bryce Canyon's Natural Bridge (Utah, US)
Natural Bridge, the most popular arch in Bryce Canyon, is located 1.7
miles past Fairview Point and is visible from the Natural Bridge
turn-out. The naming of Natural Bridge in Bryce Canyon caused a slight
uproar in the geology circles. Even though the natural-made structure
looks like a bridge, it is in fact an arch.
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