Longest Suspension Bridge in the World - the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge

World-class Projects in the Kinki Region
Longest Suspension Bridge in the World - the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge

Opened to service in April of 1998, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge spans the Akashi Straits (Akashi Kaikyo) from Maiko, Tarumi Ward in Kobe City to Matsuho, Awaji-cho, Tsuna-gun, on Awaji Island, and it is now the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a length of 3,911 meters. Stretching the imagination, the distance between the columns supporting the girder spans is 1,991 meters, making Japan the proud owner of the longest bridge in the world!

The 10 longest suspension bridges in the world

Rank	Bridge name	Main span length	Country	Date of completion
1	Akashi Kaikyo Bridge	1,991 m	Japan	1998
2	Great Belt East Bridge	1,624 m	Denmark	1998
3	Humber Bridge	1,410 m	U.K.	1981
4	Jiangyin Bridge	1,385 m	China	1999
5	Tsing Ma Bridge	1,377 m	China (Hong Kong)	1997
6	Verrazano Narrows	1,298 m	USA	1964
7	Golden Gate Bridge	1,280 m	USA	1937
8	Hoga Kusten Bridge	1,210 m	Sweden	1997
9	Mackinac Bridge	1,158 m	USA	1957
10	Minami (South) Bisan-Seto Bridge	1,100 m	Japan	1988

A thorough analysis of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge!

1.) Height of the main towers - about 300 meters!

2.) Diameter of the main suspension cable - 1,122 mm.
Piano wire with a diameter of 5.23 mm has been combined to form these suspension cables and there are about 37,000 strands in each cable! The total length of the raw cables extends to about 300,000 km.

3.) The size of the anchorage
The foundations for the anchorage sites on the Honshu end of the bridge, which support the tension of the cables are giant oval constructions with a diameter of 85 m, a depth of 63.5 m. About 350,000 tons of concrete were employed in the construction of the anchorage.

4.) Strength
The sea driven winds that roar through the straits are extremely strong, but the superstructure of the bridge is designed to withstand winds blowing at a rate of 80 m/sec. The bridge columns were designed to withstand a large-scale, earthquake generated 150 km away on the border of the Pacific plate with a magnitude of 8.5, as well as an earthquake generated near the columns at a statistically projected magnitude equal to that expected once in 150 years, a very tough design indeed.

Map of the surrounding area

5.) Lighting the bridge up
A unique lighting system has been employed, composed of 1,092 special lighting units attached above the main suspension cable. Each unit is capable of mixing red, blue, and green light to produce any desired color. At night, with the capability to transform its shape using a variety of lighting effects, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is virtually a rainbow strutting across the romantic stage composed of the sea and the rugged coast of the Akashi Straits.