The World's Most Beautiful Bridges

The world's most beautiful bridges

POSTED OCT 4, 2020

An imaginary journey around the world by way of 8 of the world's most beautiful bridges.  

Crossing Brooklyn Bridge

Walt Whitman wrote "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" in 1856.  Construction started on the Brooklyn Bridge, which traversed the same route as the ferry, in 1869.  Whitman (1809-1892) lived to see the opening in 1883.  It was the first fixed crossing over the East River.  The first travelers across the bridge were much like the ferry passengers - pedestrians and some horseless carriages.  Pedestrians and cyclists still use the bridge in great numbers, and not only in coming and going to work: "The Brooklyn Bridge is as much a destination as it is a passageway, with hordes of tourists, vendors, and street performers flocking to the iconic bridge daily." (Architectural Digest) 

It avails not, neither time or place—distance avails not;

I am with you, you men and women of a generation, or ever so many generations hence;

Just as you look on the numberless masts of ships, and the thick-stem'd pipes of steamboats, I look'd.

I too many and many a time cross'd the river, the sun half an hour high;

I watched the Twelfth-month sea-gulls—I saw them high in the air, floating with motionless wings, oscillating their bodies,

I saw how the glistening yellow lit up parts of their bodies, and left the rest in strong shadow,

I saw the slow-wheeling circles, and the gradual edging toward the south.

- from "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry"

The bridge over the lagoon

Next we take a trip to South America to stop by one of the continent's smallest countries, Uruguay.  With a population of just over 3 million, Uruguay has made a name for itself in the world of international soccer.  The Uruguay national football team has won two FIFA World Cup titles in addition to a record 15 Copa América titles, making them one of the most successful teams in South America. The national team won the first edition of the tournament in 1930, and won it again in 1950. 

Rafael Viñoly, one of Uruguay's most famous architects, designed the circular Laguna Garzón Bridge.  The coastal lagoon that it crosses is in an ecologically protected area of southern Uruguay's Maldonado region. In years' past, the only way to get across the lagoon and venture along the ocean shore was via rafts. In 2015, this 663-foot ring road bridge opened, consisting of two semi-circular one-way sections that form a kind of lagoon within a lagoon. It has dedicated pedestrain lanes running along both the inner and outer part of the circle, allowing for some fantastic sightseeing.

The world's highest bridge

Now, over to Europe to cross the world's highest bridge - the Millau Viaduct in southern France on the freeway from Paris to Montpelier.  Completed in 2004, standing 270 meters over the Tarn River and more than 340 meters in height at the top of its highest mast, it is slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower.  A cable-stayed road bridge, the Millau Viaduct Bridge was designed by engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster.

Two bridges steeped in history

From France, we travel to Venice and Prague to cross the two oldest bridges on our journey - the Ponte di Rialto and the Charles Bridge.

A futuristic bridge in a planned city

From the beautiful old bridges of Europe we go to the stunningly  futuristic Seri Wawasan Bridge in Malaysia.  It is one of the main bridges in the planned city of Putrajaya, the federal administration center 30 kilometers south of the capital of Kuala Lumpur.  Planned as a garden city and a "smart" city, 38% of  Putrajaya's area is reserved for green spaces in which the natural landscape is enhanced.  Completed in 2003, the Seri Wawasan Bridge  spans 168 meters across the Putrajaya Lake in Malaysia.  The six lane suspension bridge uses a combination of cable backstays and structural steel tie backs. It also has pedestrian and bicycle lanes.

A wind and rain bridge 

From Malaysia we travel north to China to visit the Chengyang “Wind and Rain” Bridge, one of the most famous and striking bridges in China.  A wind and rain bridge is a covered corridor bridge with benches and pavilions to allow people to meet and rest shielded from the elements.​  The 211-foot bridge was constructed in 1916 to link local villages across the Linxi River and the wooden superstructure was built without the use of nails or rivets. In their place the workmen used tenons and dove-tailing for the many wooden pieces.​ 

"Walking out onto the bridge, you can sit on the bench and appreciate the picturesque scenery. Looking far ahead, you will be intoxicated with what you see: the Linxi River meandering from the horizon; tea trees growing on the hills; local peasants working hard in the fields; and waterwheels turning, sending water cascading down the river." (Travel China Guide)

The bridge of the city by the bay

For our final leg, we cross the Pacific to the US west coast, where San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge welcomes us home.  Crossing the strait of the Golden Gate from San Francisco's Presidio to the Marin headlands for 1.7 miles is the world-renowned Golden Gate Bridge.  Once called "the bridge that couldn't be built," the span opened in 1937 after a four-year struggle against relentless winds, fog, rock and treacherous tides. Believed to be the most photographed bridge in the world, this landmark was named one of the seven civil engineering wonders of the United States by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1994. 

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