Intro
Did you know that the world's longest bridge is located in Asia? That is the Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge in China, recognized by the Guinness World Records as the longest bridge globally, with an impressive length of 164.8 km (102.4 miles).
Now, where do you think the second-longest bridge in the world is? Surprisingly, it's also in Asia. What's even more surprising is that the entire top 10 list of the world's longest bridges is located in the Asian region.
Let's explore the bridges that make up the world's and Asia's top 10, ranked by their lengths.
Top 10 : Metro Manila Skyway System (Philippines)
Length : 39km
The capital of the Philippines is Manila, and the metropolitan area centered around Manila is called Metro Manila. The Metro Manila Skyway, initiated in 1998, is an elevated highway system cutting through Metro Manila to address the traffic congestion on the crowded roads with a population exceeding 10 million. Fortunately, the Metro Manila Skyway has been successful in achieving its intended purpose to date. The Skyway has been completed up to Stage 3, and depending on future expansion projects, it may rise even higher in the rankings.
Top 9 : Dhaka Elevated Expressway (Bangladesh)
Length : 46.7km
Dhaka Elevated Expressway is Bangladesh's first elevated expressway project. The elevated expressway is set to establish an alternative route throughout the city. The DEE will be instrumental in connecting various factories and the expanding international airport in the northern part of the city, and serving the main port of Chittagong in the southern region. The 11.5 km Airport- Farmgate segment of the expressway has been completed and is operational since 2 September 2023, and the rest is still under construction.
Top 8 : Beijing Grand Bridge (China)
Length : 48.1km
Beijing Grand Bridge (Chinese: 北京特大桥) is a 48.15-kilometer (29.92 mi)-long railway viaduct on the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway, located in Beijing.
Top 7 : Bang Na Expressway (Thailand)
Length : 54km
The Bang Na Expressway is a box girder viaduct in Bangkok, Thailand, and held the title of the world's longest bridge from 2000 until 2008. The all-precast, prestressed concrete superstructure has a total length of 54 km (34 miles).
Top 6 : Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge (China)
Length : 79km
The Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge, completed in 2008, is part of the Zhengzhou–Xi'an High-Speed Railway in China. When the new railway becomes fully operational, travel time between the two cities will be reduced from six hours to less than two hours.
Top 5 : Cangde Grand Bridge (China)
Length : 106km
Now, we have entered a bridge that exceeds over an impressive 100km. It is one of the bridges comprising the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, completed in 2010. Due to its enormous length, it is reported to have over 3,000 supporting piers.
Top 4 : Tianjin Grand Bridge (China)
Length : 114km
The Tianjin Grand Bridge is also one of the bridges comprising the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, completed in 2010. At that time, it held the Guinness World Record as the second-longest bridge globally. It utilized 860 tons of box girder with a length of 32 meters.
Top 3 : Kita–Yaita Viaduct (Japan)
Length : 114km
Would you believe that a 114 km viaduct was opened in 1982? As part of the Shinkansen high-speed rail system, known by the nickname 'Bullet Train,' the section continues to connect Tokyo and Aomori.
Top 2 : Changhua–Kaohsiung Viaduct (Taiwan)
Length : 157km
The Changhua–Kaohsiung Viaduct, completed in 2004, transported over 200 million passengers in 2012. Given Taiwan's susceptibility to seismic activity, so seismic design has been applied.
Top 1 : Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge (China)
Length : 165km
The first place goes to the Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge mentioned at the beginning. It is also part of the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway and has held the title of the world's longest bridge since its completion in 2010.
Summary
Rank |
Bridges |
Length(m) |
Length(ft) |
Completion |
Traffic |
Country |
1 |
Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge |
164,800 |
540,700 |
2010 |
High-speed rail |
China
|
2 |
Changhua–Kaohsiung Viaduct |
157,317 |
516,132 |
2004 |
High-speed rail |
Taiwan
|
3 |
Kita–Yaita Viaduct |
114,424 |
375,407 |
1982 |
High-speed rail |
Japan
|
4 |
Tianjin Grand Bridge |
113,700 |
373,000 |
2010 |
High-speed rail |
China
|
5 |
Cangde Grand Bridge |
105,881 |
347,379 |
2010 |
High-speed rail |
China
|
6 |
Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge |
79,732 |
261,588 |
2008 |
High-speed rail |
China
|
7 |
Bang Na Expressway |
54,000 |
177,000 |
2000 |
Expressway |
Thailand
|
8 |
Beijing Grand Bridge |
48,153 |
157,982 |
2010 |
High-speed rail |
China
|
9 |
Dhaka Elevated Expressway |
46,730 |
153,310 |
2023 |
Expressway |
Bangladesh
|
10 |
Metro Manila Skyway |
39,200 |
128,600 |
2021 |
Expressway |
Philippines
|
Hello, I am Jegeon Ryu, a Project Manager responsible for developing MOTIVE for engineers dedicated to creating a safer and better world. During my two years of military service, I learned that creating a safer world is achievable through the sharing of technology and motivating each other. My goal is to contribute to the happiness of the world by creating a global platform that facilitates mutual knowledge sharing and growth.
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