Spanning the world’s best bridges

Published May 24, 2013

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London - Suspension bridges, covered bridges, wind-and-rain bridges, rope bridges, ornamental bridges. There’s a practical purpose to every bridge; that river has to be crossed or that gorge spanned. But it’s the romance, legend and spectacle of a bridge that led online travel consultants Cheapflights.com (www.cheapflights.com) to create its list of the Top 10 most impressive bridges around the world. Reuters has not endorsed the list:

1. Tower Bridge, London, UK

It was built in 1894 – Victorian Gothic with Cornish granite and Portland stone – close to the Tower of London from which it gets its name. Standing 42m above the legendary River Thames, its walkways are vantage points for many London landmarks. Plus, it’s the only bridge on the Thames that can be raised to let boats pass underneath.

2. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, USA

It spans the strait linking San Francisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean and has stood above the Golden Gate for 75 years. At 1 280m long, the Golden Gate Bridge was, for almost 30 years, the longest in the world. In a city of superb see-before-you-die attractions, the bridge tops the list. Visitors can walk or bike across it.

3. Lions Gate Bridge, Vancouver, Canada

This is the bridge that Guinness built. Really. The Lions Gate Bridge, known officially as the First Narrows Bridge, spans Burrard Inlet and connects the City of Vancouver to the North Shore (North Vancouver and West Vancouver). The Lions Gate refers to the mountain peaks (The Lions) that are visible to drivers heading north. The wealthy Guinness family were involved with the construction of the bridge and, in 1986, made a gift of its lights.

4. Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney, Australia

The bridge is the largest steel-arch bridge in the world. It’s not the longest (that honour belongs to the New River Gorge in West Virginia), but it’s one of the most recognisable symbols of Australia. It is 1 149m long and its arch span is 503m. The top of the arch is 134m above the sea and the clearance for shipping under the deck is a spacious 49m.

5. Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glenfinnan, Scotland

This is the railway viaduct that the Hogwarts Express chugs across in the Harry Potter films.

It also “starred” in Charlotte Gray, Monarch of the Glen, Stone of Destiny and Ring of Bright Water. Built by Sir Robert McAlpine at the end of the 19th century, the viaduct is composed of 21 arches, each spanning 15m, and is 30m high, offering sumptuous views down to Loch Shiel. The railway viaduct is on the West Highland Line in Glenfinnan, Lochaber in the Highlands.

6. Si-o-se Pol, Isfahan, Iran

Si-o-se Pol, which means the Bridge of 33 Arches, has stood in Isfahan, Iran since the 17th century. Spanning the river Zayandeh Rud, it is one of 11 bridges in Isfahan. It is one of the most famous examples of Safavid bridge design, although Khadjou Bridge is considered to be more beautiful. There are two rows of 33 arches and its yellow brick and limestone masonry give it that buttery softness that, when the sun hits, makes it appear to melt into the river. You can sit in one of the alcoves and admire the view, or you can partake of tea in the tea house.

7. Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy

Ponte Vecchio means “old bridge” in Italian, which it is. The bridge on the River Arno was mentioned in a document in 996AD. Destroyed a couple of times but rebuilt, it was spared by the retreating Germans in 1944 on the orders of Hitler. Bridges were once places where butchers, tanners and fishmongers plied their trades. By the end of the 16th century, the bridge was upgraded to businesses for goldsmiths and jewellers. Lying across the Arno at its narrowest point, it is 30m long.

8. Victoria Falls Bridge, Zimbabwe/Zambia

The Zambezi River roars beneath the Victoria Falls Bridge, which links two countries: Zimbabwe and Zambia. On one side is Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and on the other, Livingstone, Zambia. A feat of Victorian design and engineering, it took just 14 months to build. It was opened by Charles Darwin’s son, George, in 1905. It’s a road, railway and footway and a launch for bungee jumps. At 198m long and 128m above the river, it’s a close second to the Victoria Falls (Mosi-oa-Tunya – The smoke that thunders).

9. Pont Alexandre III, Paris, France

Pont Neuf is Paris’s oldest and one of its most famous bridges, but the Pont Alexandre III is the most extravagant bridge on the Seine. This arch bridge (connecting the Champs-Élysées quarter with the Invalides and Eiffel Tower quarters) was built for the Universal Exposition of 1900, the great world’s fair. Russia’s Tsar Nicholas II laid the first brick (it was at a time when France was courting Russia as an ally) and it was named after the Tsar’s father, Alexander III. This historic monument is studded with gilded-bronze winged horses, compositions in copper that represent the nymphs of the Seine, and ornate lampposts adorned with cherubs.

10. Teufelsbrücke, Switzerland

The story goes that the devil built this bridge, and, in exchange for his engineering and construction skills, he would receive the first soul to cross it. The canny villagers sent a goat instead of a person, so the devil tried to destroy his bridge by throwing a boulder (the Teufelsstein, the devil’s stone) at it. However, catching sight of an old woman carrying a cross, he took fright and ran away, dropping the stone. Myths aside, the Teufelsbrücke spans the Reuss River high up in the Swiss mountains in the canton of Uri. It provides access to the St Gotthard Pass.

The bridge that is in use now is the third. The first bridge (wooden and built by the devil) was built in 1230 and the second (built in the 1820s) is close to this “new” (1950s) concrete bridge. – Reuters

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