Pride of America - the longest bridge in the world
If you look at the list of the longest bridges in the world, then Asian countries are in the lead, especially China, which indicates the rapid economic development of the country. In addition, China produces and consumes about 60% of the world's cement - between 2011 and 2013, China used as much cement as the United States used in the entire 20th century.
In recent years, China has managed to raise the bar in bridge construction to unprecedented heights, building bridges that break all world records. Of the ten longest bridges, only two were built not in Asia, but in the United States, a country known for its engineering and technical wonders. One of these bridges connects the shores of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana.
The dam bridge over Lake Pontchartrain consists of two bridges, each 38 kilometers long. One was built in 1956, the other, slightly longer than its predecessor, was completed in 1969. And since then, the dam bridge has held the title of the longest bridge across bodies of water in the world. Built in 2011, the Qingdao Bay Bridge in China has become a threat to the American brother, but Guinness World Records officials quickly came up with a new category to save the US from international embarrassment.
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The dam bridge over Lake Pontchartrain was a monumental achievement for civil engineers, not only because of its limitless length, but also because of improved technological techniques.
Standard practice in bridge construction was to use solid square or cylindrical reinforced concrete piles with a diameter of 24 inches. It was during the construction of the bridge over Lake Pontchartrain that 54-inch diameter hollow cylindrical piles of prestressed concrete were first used, which were larger and stronger than ordinary ones. Yes, and such piles were required much less, which reduced the cost of construction.
And when another country challenges such a historical bridge in every sense, it is not surprising that the officials of the dam bridge across Lake Pontchartrain not only took offense, but also decided to act in order to find something to repel the blow. The Chinese bridge began to be tested and explored, and in the end they found an omission.
The Qingdao Bay Bridge, which cost $2.3 billion to build, is 41.5 kilometers long, more than three kilometers longer than the American bridge. But representatives of the Pontchartrain dam bridge claim that this length was achieved due to the curve of the bridge. In fact, the actual distance crossed by the bridge is about 25 kilometers.
Representatives of the Guinness Book of Records have already managed to demote the American bridge to 2nd place and decided that the best way out of the situation would be to create a new category. And the dam bridge over Lake Pontchartrain became the longest bridge across the body of water (continuously along its entire length), and the Chinese bridge became the longest in terms of total duration. And everyone was happy.
True, the Chinese record holder will soon have to make room - in 2017, the Macau-Zhuhai-Hong Kong bridge should be built, the length of which will reach 50 kilometers, and it will connect Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai.
Satellite image of Lake Pontchartrain. The bridge practically divides the water space in half.
Dam bridge over Lake Pontchartrain.
Comparison of two bridges - American and Chinese.
Qingdao bridge across the bay. Satellite image.
Qingdao bridge across the bay.
Qingdao bridge across the bay.
Qingdao bridge across the bay.
Keywords: Length | Guinness Book of Records | Bridge | Lake | Building | USA