Top 10 Most Beautiful Bridges in the World as Inspiration for Messina Strait
Amid renewed political debate over the Messina Strait Bridge project, Artribune presents a curated list of the world's ten most beautiful bridges, combining engineering prowess with creative design. The list includes the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge (Japan, 1998) by Satoshi Kashima, with the longest central span; the Øresund Bridge (2000) by Dissing + Weitling, linking Denmark and Sweden; the Sutong Yangtze River Bridge (China, 2008); the Nescio Bridge (Amsterdam, 2006) by Wilkinson Eyre Architects, a green pedestrian and cycle bridge; the Stonecutters Bridge (Hong Kong, 2009) by Dissing+Weitling; the Kurilpa Bridge (Brisbane, 2009) by Cox Rayner Architects and Arup; the Da Vinci Bridge (Norway, 2001) by Vebjørn Sand, based on Leonardo da Vinci's 1502 design; the Ponte della Costituzione (Venice, 2008) by Santiago Calatrava; the Erasmus Bridge (Rotterdam, 1996) by Ben van Berkel; and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (New York, 1960s). The article highlights the Messina Strait Bridge's proposed dimensions: 3,300-meter central span, 60.4-meter deck width, 399-meter towers, and 1.26-meter cable diameter.
Key facts
- The Messina Strait Bridge project has been revived in political debate by Premier Matteo Renzi.
- The proposed bridge would have a 3,300-meter central span, 60.4-meter deck width, 399-meter towers, and 1.26-meter cable diameter.
- Akashi Kaikyō Bridge in Japan (1998) by Satoshi Kashima has the world's longest central span at nearly 2 km.
- Øresund Bridge (2000) by Dissing + Weitling is Europe's longest cable-stayed bridge at 16 km, connecting Copenhagen and Malmö.
- Sutong Yangtze River Bridge in China (2008) was the longest suspension bridge until 2012.
- Nescio Bridge in Amsterdam (2006) by Wilkinson Eyre Architects is the first fully green bridge in the Netherlands, for pedestrians and cyclists only.
- Stonecutters Bridge in Hong Kong (2009) by Dissing+Weitling was designed to withstand strong winds.
- Kurilpa Bridge in Brisbane (2009) by Cox Rayner Architects and Arup is a pedestrian and cycle bridge with a cable-stayed structure.
- Da Vinci Bridge in Norway (2001) by Vebjørn Sand is a scale reproduction of a 1502 design by Leonardo da Vinci.
- Ponte della Costituzione in Venice (2008) by Santiago Calatrava has been criticized for costs and accessibility issues.
- Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam (1996) by Ben van Berkel is known as 'The Swan' and is an iconic city symbol.
- Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York (1960s) is considered the most beautiful bridge by the article's author.
Entities
Artists
- Satoshi Kashima
- Santiago Calatrava
- Ben van Berkel
- Vebjørn Sand
- Leonardo da Vinci
Institutions
- Wilkinson Eyre Architects
- Dissing + Weitling
- Cox Rayner Architects
- Arup
- Artribune
Locations
- Japan
- Copenhagen
- Denmark
- Malmö
- Sweden
- China
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Hong Kong
- Brisbane
- Australia
- Akershus
- Norway
- Venice
- Italy
- Rotterdam
- New York
- United States
- Messina Strait