Truss bridges are some of the most impressive inventions of mankind. These ginormous structures connect one area to another safely and securely.
It’s easy to miss the elegance of something as simple as a bridge. That’s why we are here. To educate you a little on 15 of the world’s biggest Truss Bridges. Be prepared to have your mind blown.
Table of Contents
15. Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge – Kingston, New York, USA
Main span meters: 2454
Main span feet: 800
Year opened: 1957
Located in Kingston, New York, and first opened in 1957. It is a continuous under-deck toll bridge. It carries NY99 to the Hudson River.
It is owned by the New York State Bridge Authority (NYSBA). It has two lanes and can take up to 17,000 vehicles per day.
David B. Steinman designed the bridge. While Harris Structural Steel, Scott Corporation, and Merritt-Chapman’s builders made it.
The original price for this bridge was estimated at $17.5 million US. It has an east and west channel in the Hudson River and has two main spans.
14. Yoshima Bridge – Seto Inland Sea, Japan
Main span meters: 245
Main span feet: 804
Year opened: 1988
The Yoshima Bridge is one of a series of bridges that connects Kahawa and Okayama in Japan. This spans across a series of five small islands and is one of three routes of the Honshū–Shikoku Bridge Project.
It takes about 30 minutes to cross the entire bridge by car or train. The toll for crossing is around ¥3,500 both ways. It has two lanes for highway traffic in each direction and has a railway track on the lower level.
The Cairo I-57 is made from steel. The arch carries four lanes of the Interstate across the 57 and the Mississippi River. The bridge stands at 114 feet at its Apex. Originating first as a toll bridge in 1929.
It was constructed by the American Bridge Company and the Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co.. After construction was completed in 1937 and it opened for business a second structure was opened as well.
The toll was removed from the bridge in 1954.
12. Bob Cummings Lincoln Trail Bridge – Cannelton, Indiana / Hawesville, Kentucky, USA
Main span meters: 251.3
Main span feet: 825
Year opened: 1966
The bridge connects the towns of Cannelton, Indiana, Hawesville, and Kentucky and it crosses the Ohio River. The bridge opened in December of 1966 after construction began in June 1964.
The toll facility was removed in 1990 when the state of Indiana lifted all tolls. The bridge was named after the Cannelton News anchor Bob Cummings in 1974.
11. Earle C. Clements (Shawneetown) Bridge – Old Shawneetown, Illinois / Union County, Kentucky, USA
Main span meters: 251.5
Main span feet: 826
Year opened: 1955
Commonly knows as the Shawneetown Bridge first opened in 1955. It carries Kentucky Route 56 and Illinois Route 13 across the Ohio River. It is the only highway bridge that goes through Ohio between Kentucky, Evansville, and Paducah.
It was named after the former governor of Kentucky – Clemments. It has made a Hollywood debut in the film U.S Marshals.
10. Kamakari bridge – Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
Main span meters: 255
Main span feet: 837
Year opened: 1979
There is currently not much information on this bridge, yet it does live in one of the most historically significant places in the world. Hiroshima has gone through a lot of adversaries throughout history with its involvement in WW2.
The subsequent destruction it endured during the nuclear attacks. The city has recovered well throughout time. It has slowly but surely regained its reputation for being a beautiful city rich in cultural and historical significance.
9. Braga Bridge – Somerset / Fall River, Massachusetts, USA
Main span meters: 256
Main span feet: 840
Year opened: 1966
Located between the city of Fall River and the town of Somerset. It first opened in 1966. The bridge is also known as the Braga Bridge. It carries the interstate 195 over the Taunton River.
It is one of the longest bridges in Massachusetts at over 1 mile long. It serves as a crucial link between Rhode Island, Cape Cod, New Bedford, and Providence.
8. Julien Dubuque Bridge – Dubuque, Iowa / East Dubuque, Illinois, USA
Main span meters: 258
Main span feet: 845
Year opened: 1943
Connecting the cities of Iowa, Illinois, Dubuque, and East Dubuque across the Mississippi River. In Mississipi, the Julien Dubuque Bridge is one of two automobile bridges.
The bridge has historical significance as it was used in WW2 to transport the military to new facilities.
The bright took about a year to finish and it was painted grey to act as a camouflage so that they would not be attacked by enemy forces.
Though it was originally operated as a toll, the bridge itself was paid for by bonds. The money made from tolls said to pay off the fees from the bonds.
The bridge was used so much that they were able to completely pay off their bonds within the first eleven years. The bridge was treated to a much-needed reconstruction repair in 1990.
It had several features installed and updated. They even decided to change the color from dark green to light grey.
7. Taylor-Southgate Bridge – Cincinnati, Ohio / Newport, Kentucky, USA
Main span meters: 259
Main span feet: 850
Year opened: 1995
Created as a replacement for the Cincinnati-Newport Bridge, it was built in 1995. Using Route 27 to connect Newport, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Kentucky over the Ohio River.
Compared to other more elegant bridges, some people have said that this bridge is very plain.
It was named after James Taylor, Jr. and Richard Southgate and their families. They were some of the early settlers of Newport and carried a lot of influence into the city.
6. Kuronoseto Bridge – Kuronoseto, Japan
Main span meters: 300
Main span feet: 984
Year opened: 1974
The Kuronoseto bridge leads straight from the island of Nagashima to the city of Akune. The water beneath the bridge is wild and rapid. The speeds sometimes coming below 10 knots.
Visitors have frequently seen whirlpools develop watching from the bridge’s observation deck.
Origunchi station is 11 minutes away by car. Close attractions to the bridge include Sunset Road, Akune Oshima, Akune Station, and Izumi.
5. Tenmon Bridge – Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan
Main span meters: 300
Main span feet: 984
Year opened: 1966
The Tenmon Bashi (or Tenmon Kyō) is one-fifth of the five main bridges of Japan. The entire operation started as a toll bridge and was fully paid after nine years.
It was first thought to take up to 39 years. It is a beautiful pearl color and is 42 meters above sea level.
4. Dashengguan Bridge – Nanjing, China
Main span meters: 336
Main span feet: 1,102
Year opened: 2010
The large bridge crosses the Yangtze River in Nanjing, Jiangsu, and first opened in 2011. It has 6 tracks in total. Two are for the Shanghai/Wuhan/Chengdu high-speed railway.
Two are for the Beijing/Shanghai High-Speed Railway. The remaining two are for the S3 Line for Nanjing Metro. This line first opened in 2017 and is still relatively new.
3. Francis Scott Key Bridge – Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Main span meters: 336
Main span feet: 1,200
Year opened: 1977
Originally known as the Outer Harbor Crossing, the Francis Scott Key Bridge was first opened in 1977. It is the longest bridge in the Baltimore metropolitan area and is 1,200 meters long.
That makes it the third-largest truss bridge in the world.
It contains three toll crossings to Baltimore. One is the bridge and the other two are the tunnels. It became the final link in Interstate 695 when it first finished.
It is now officially a part of the state highway system. It is said to have carried 11.5 million vehicles annually and is designated as a hazardous material truck route.
This is due to the HAZMAT vehicles not being permitted inside the tunnels of Fort McHenry or Baltimore Harbour. It is still a functioning toll facility and has a rate of $4 US.
It has recently joined the E-ZPass system in the hopes of making it a cashless toll facility.
2. Astoria-Megler Bridge – Astoria, Oregon, USA
Main span meters: 376
Main span feet: 1,232
Year opened: 1966
This bridge is in the northwest United States and first opened in 1966. It is known to be the longest truss bridge in North America. It spans between Oregon, Astoria, and Point Ellice on the lower Columbia River.
It is around 14 miles away from the Pacific Ocean’s mouth. This bridge was officially the last piece of the segment of Route 101 to be completed.
1. Ikitsuki Bridge – Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
Main span meters: 400
Main span feet: 1,312
Year opened: 1991
The Ikitsuki Bridge is the longest truss bridge in the world. It spans 400 meters in total. It connects Ikitsuki to Hirado Island. Before the bridge was completed the only way to get off Ikitsuki was via ferry to the various ports in Kyūshū.
Yet, since its completion, it has made it possible to travel from Ikitsuki to anywhere in Japan via automobile.
