| | |  Technology News | November 2009 
Bridges Beyond Belief
 Off the 'Net
November 09, 2009
There are some very interesting and artistic bridges in this world.
Pedestrian Bridge - Texas
This beautiful arched bridge in Lake Austin was built by Miro Rivera Architects and is used to connect the client's main house to the smaller guest house on the other side of the pond. To make the bridge seem as natural as possible within its surroundings they made the decking and reed-like hand rails imperfect but still structurally sound.
Kintaikyo, Iwakuni, Japan
The original Kintai Bridge was built in 1673 but collapsed due to flooding. The rebuilt bridge survived for more than 200 years until a typhoon destroyed it in 1950. The bridge that stands now over the Nishiki River has five wooden arches displaying an incredible amount of detail and craftmanship. Interesting fact: no nails or bolts have been used to build the arches, only clamps and wires.
Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, Brasilia, Brazil
The JK Bridge in Brasilia is a lesson in elegant bridge design. The three huge diagonal arches over the deck of the bridge give the structure an amazing visual fluidity (yeah, but was the designer slightly inebriated when he designed this structure?).
Rolling Bridge, London, UK
Thomas heatherwick's award-winning rolling bridge is an ingenious addition to the grand union canal system in London and is unique. Unlike regular movable canal bridges, the rolling bridge curls up to form an octagon by way of hydraulic jacks to let ships pass.
Beipanjiang River Railroad Bridge, Guizhou, China
Beipanjiang River Railroad Bridge in Guizhou is an enormous railway bridge that was built as part of the'Guizhou-Shuibai Railway Project'. Connecting two mountains over a deep ravine, at its highest point the bridge's deck sits 918 ft above the ground. Parenthetically the bridge in connects two of the country's poorest areas.
Henderson Waves, Southern Ridges, Singapore
'Henderson Waves' is Singapore's highest pedestrian bridge and is at the 'Southern Ridges,' a beautiful 9 km (six miles) stretch of gardens and parks. The deck of the bridge is made from thousands of Balau wood slats, perfectly cut and arranged, and along the length of the deck a snaking, undulating shell forms sheltered seating areas on every upward curve.
Pont Gustave Flaubert, Rouen, France
This incredible vertical lift bridge is in Rouen, France, whose spans weigh 1,200 tons each but can be hoisted 180 ft vertically in an impressive 12 minutes. The angular lift structures at the top of each tower weigh 450 tons each. The huge vertical lift allows even the largest cruise liners to sail through.
Hegigio Gorge Pipeline Bridge, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
This bridge supports two pipelines - one gas, the other oil - across the extremely deep gap in Papua New Guinea If this were to be officially recognized as a vehicular or pedestrian bridge it would rocket to the top of the'world's highest bridge-span' with the pipelines at an impressive height of 1,290 ft above the bottom of the gorge. By comparison, the current highest bridge span belongs to the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, hanging a mere 1,053 ft above ground level.
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