If you ask a network expert what is a bridge you will get this answer in about 99% of cases: “A bridge is a device that separates two or more network segments within one logical network”. If you ask a british you may get this answer: “A card game descended from whist, played by two partnerships of two players who at the beginning of each hand bid for the right to name” or maybe “Tower Bridge”. But, if you ask a child he will tell you that a brige makes easy to cross a river. In any of the cases the answer is true but in most of the cases the child is right. This is why we consider that would be best to present you some examples of great bridges in the world that give the real meaning to this “bridge” word.

 Tower Bridge (London,England)

Tower Bridge is a bridge located over the Thames in London. It was built between 1888 – 1894 and connects the south with the northern city. The total length of the bridge is 244 m, with two towers of 65m each. Tower Bridge was designed in Gothic style by Horace Jones. On the north bank of the Thames is London's Tower (Tower of London) and St. Katharine Docks. On the south bank is City Hall.

Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, US)

Golden Gate Bridge located in the western United States in California, was inugurat on May 27, 1937. The first day of entry into service only pedestrian bridge was opened that day, called “Pedestrian Day”, is crossed by 200,000. With an opening of 1.280 m, the Golden Gate Bridge connecting San Francisco to Sausalito city, is located above the Golden Gate Strait which connects the Pacific Ocean (west) and San Francisco Bay (east). Bridge, which has a total length of 2,737 m, has become known that the vast building was first suspended at over 150 m above sea level, while being a shining example of architectural style “Art Deco” later in the United States. It quickly became a symbol of San Francisco, often identified with the liberal spirit of the influential Californian city.  

Sydney Harbour Bridge (Sydney, Australia)

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore.
The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic image of both Sydney and Australia. The bridge is nicknamed “The Coathanger” because of its arch-based design; however, to most Sydneysiders it is known simply as “The Bridge”.
The bridge was designed and built by British firm Dorman Long and Co Ltd of Middlesbrough and opened in 1932. The bridge's design was influenced by the Hell Gate Bridge in New York. According to the Guinness World Records, it is the world's widest long-span bridge. It is also the fifth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world, and it is the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 metres (440 ft) from top to water level. Until 1967 the Harbour Bridge was Sydney's tallest structure.

Ponte Vecchio (Florence, Italy)

“Ponte Vecchio” is the oldest bridge in Florence, located at the bottom of the river Arno. It is a place where there were at least three previous bridges, one in Roman times, one which collapsed in 1117, and one that was destroyed by the flooding river Arno in 1333.
The bridge was built by Neri di Fioravante (1345). It has a solid structure with three arches. It is characterized by small houses that are lined on both sides of the bridge. In the fourteenth century buildings have had a compact architecture, but as time changes have occurred that led to today's picturesque image.
At the center of the bridge over river street narrows between those buildings offering a view over the Arno River and other bridges.
Since the sixteenth century, the shops on the bridge became jewelers shops-stores. Previously, some of these shops were butchers.

Gateshead Millenium Bridge (Gateshead, England)

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne in England between Gateshead's Quays arts quarter on the south bank, and the Quayside of Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank. The award-winning structure was conceived and designed by architects Wilkinson Eyre and structural engineers Gifford. The bridge is sometimes referred to as the 'Blinking Eye Bridge' or the 'Winking Eye Bridge' due to its shape and its tilting method. In terms of height, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge is slightly shorter than the neighbouring Tyne Bridge, and stands as the sixteenth tallest structure in the city.
The bridge was lifted into place in one piece by the Asian Hercules II, one of the world's largest floating cranes, on 20 November 2000. It was opened to the public on 17 September 2001, and was dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II on 7 May 2002. The bridge, which cost £22m to build, was part funded by the Millennium Commission and European Regional Development Fund. It was built by Volker Stevin.
Six 45 cm (18 in) diameter Hydraulic rams (three on each side, each powered by a 55 kW electric motor) rotate the bridge back on large bearings to allow small ships and boats (up to 25 m (82 ft) tall) to pass underneath. The bridge takes as little as 4.5 minutes to rotate through the full 40° from closed to open, depending on wind speed. Its appearance during this manoeuvre has led to it being nicknamed the “Blinking Eye Bridge”.

Erasmusbrug (Rotterdam, Netherlands)

Erasmus Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge across the Nieuwe Maas river, linking the northern and southern halves of the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
The Erasmusbrug was designed by Ben van Berkel and completed in 1996. The 802-metre-long (2,631 ft) bridge has a 139-metre-high (456 ft) asymmetrical pylon, earning the bridge its nickname of “The Swan”.
The southern span of the bridge has an 89-metre-long (292 ft) bascule bridge for ships that cannot pass under the bridge. The bascule bridge is the largest and heaviest in West Europe and has the largest panel of its type in the world.
The bridge was officially opened by Queen Beatrix on September 6, 1996, having cost 165 million Dutch guilders (about 75 million euro) to construct. Shortly after the bridge opened to traffic in October 1996, it was discovered the bridge would swing under particularly strong wind conditions. To reduce the trembling, stronger shock dampers were installed.

 Westminster Bridge (London, England)

Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster on the north side and Lambeth on the south side, in London, England.
The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the House of Commons which is on the side of the Palace of Westminster nearest the bridge. This is in contrast to Lambeth Bridge which is red, the same colour as the seats in the House of Lords and is on the opposite side of the Houses of Parliament.
With an overall length of 252 metres (826.8 ft) and a width of 26 metres (88 ft), it is a seven-arch wrought iron bridge with Gothic detailing by Charles Barry (the architect of the Palace of Westminster). It is the second oldest bridge in central London, after London Bridge.

Millau Bridge (Tarn Valley, France)

Millau Viaduct is a road bridge cables passing over the Tarn valley, in the department of Aveyron, France.
The bridge, officially inaugurated on December 14, 2004, holds four world records.
Millau Viaduct is located within villages and Creissels Millau in Aveyron department, France. Before building the bridge, traffic on the highway down the Tarn River valley bottom, following the national road 9, near Millau. This causes congestion at the beginning and end of summer holidays.
The bridge crosses above the Tarn valley below the point of it, uniting two hills of limestone Causse and Causse du Larzac Rouge, hills placed in Grands Causses regional natural park.
Hoban viaduct is a bridge with a length of 2460 m. Crosses the river Tarn in nearly 270 m.
Deck, with a width of 32 m, contains a highway with two bezi and emergency tape each direction of travel.
The bridge is supported by seven feet long by 87 feet high pillars, which are hung the 11 pairs of Hoban. Radius of curvature of the bridge is 20 km, which allows precise vehicle trajectory than straight.

 Fehmarn Belt Bridge (Baltic Sea, Germany and Denmark)

The Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link is an immersed tunnel that is proposed to connect the German offshore island of Fehmarn with the Danish island of Lolland.
This would cross over the Fehmarn Belt in the Baltic Sea – 18 km (11 mi) wide – hence providing a direct link by railroad and highway between northern Germany and Lolland, and thence to the Danish island of Zealand.
This route is known in German as the Vogelfluglinie and in Danish as the Fugleflugtslinjen
The bridge would be about 20 km long, comprising three identical cable-stayed spans, with each span being 724 metres (2,375 ft) long.
The vertical clearance would have been about 65 m (213 ft) above sea level, allowing ocean-going ships to pass beneath it.
The design of the bridge links was being carried out by the Dissing+Weitling company for its aesthetical features and by the COWI and Obermeyer companies for their civil engineering aspects.
The proposed design carries four motorway lanes and two railway tracks.

When completed in 2018 the Fehmarn Belt Bridge will stretch 11.8 miles and connect the German island of Fehmarn with the Danish island of Lolland at an estimated cost of $2.2 billion.

The Kintai Bridge (Iwakuni, Japan)

The Kintai Bridge is a historical wooden arch bridge, in the city of Iwakuni, in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.
The bridge was built in 1673, spanning the beautiful Nishiki River in a series of five wooden arches, and the bridge is located on the foot of Mt.Yokoyama, at the top of which lies Iwakuni Castle.
Declared a National Treasure in 1922, Kikkou Park, which includes the bridge and castle, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan, especially for the Cherry Blossom festival in the spring and the autumn color change of the Japanese Maples.
The bridge is composed by five sequential wooden arch bridges on four stone built piers as well as two of wooden piers on the dry riverbed where the bridge begins and ends. Each of the three middle spans is 35.1 meters long, while the two end spans are 34.8 meters for a total length of about 175 meters with a width of 5 meters.

Oresund Bridge (Oresund Strait, Denmark and Sweden)

Oresund Bridge to Sweden leaving the island where Peberholm continue with a tunnel, Tunnel Drogden up in Denmark. Each of these three sections is a great technical achievement. The bridge itself, supported by cables, with the 7845 m long, is one of the largest buildings of its kind in the world with the largest opening (490 m) between the two legs that weighs 82,000 tons per meter. Although the ship traffic in the area takes place on the tunnel, the highest pillar is 204 m at the top is a four lane road that passes under a railway double the average height of the bridge is 57 meters
Peberholm Island there is a shift from the bridge to the tunnel. Peberholm is an artificial island built for this purpose, over 2 km long and several hundred meters wide, unpopulated, which belongs to Denmark. Drogden Tunnel starts from the middle of the island and after crossing the 3510 m under the sea, it continues with two tunnels of 270 m on land. Reason for which was built in place of the tunnel is another bridge that was too close to Copenhagen Airport.

Tsing Ma Bridge (Hong Kong, China)

The Tsing Ma Bridge is a bridge in Hong Kong. It is the world's seventh-longest span suspension bridge, and was the second longest at time of completion. The bridge was named after two of the islands at its ends, namely Tsing Yi and Ma Wan . It has two decks and carries both road and rail traffic, which also makes it the largest suspension bridge of this type. The bridge has a main span of 1,377 metres (4,518 ft) and a height of 206 metres (676 ft). The span is the largest of all bridges in the world carrying rail traffic.
The 41-metre (135 ft) wide bridge deck carries six lanes of automobile traffic, with three lanes in each direction. The lower level contains two rail tracks and two sheltered carriageways, used for maintenance access and traffic lanes when particularly severe typhoons strike Hong Kong and the bridge deck is closed to traffic.

 Bosphorus Bridge (Istanbul, Turkey)

The Bosphorus Bridge, also called the First Bosphorus Bridge is one of the two bridges in Istanbul, Turkey, spanning the Bosphorus strait and thus connecting Europe and Asia.
The bridge is located between Ortaköy (on the European side) and Beylerbeyi (on the Asian side). It is a gravity anchored suspension bridge with steel pylons and inclined hangers. The aerodynamic deck hangs on zigzag steel cables.
It is 1,510 m (4,954 ft) long with a deck width of 39 m (128 ft). The distance between the towers (main span) is 1,074 m (3,524 ft) and their height over road level is 105 m (344 ft). The clearance of the bridge from sea level is 64 m (210 ft). The Bosphorus Bridge had the 4th longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed in 1973, and the longest outside the United States. At present, it is the 17th longest suspension bridge span in the world.

San Diego – Coronado Bridge (San Diego, US)

The San Diego-Coronado Bridge, locally referred to as the Coronado Bridge, is a “prestressed concrete/steel” girder bridge, crossing over San Diego Bay in the United States, linking San Diego with Coronado, California.
The bridge is signed as part of State Route 75.
The 11,179-foot-long (3,407 m or 2.1 mi) bridge ascends from Coronado at a 4.67 percent grade before curving 80 degrees toward San Diego. The span reaches a maximum height of 200 feet (61m), allowing the U.S. Navy ships which operate out of the nearby Naval Station San Diego to pass underneath it. The five-lane bridge featured the longest box girder in the world until it was surpassed by a bridge in Chongqing, China in 2008.
The bridge doesn't form a direct path to Coronado, but rather has a curve. This was done so it would be high enough for all U.S. Navy ships to pass underneath but not too steep for vehicles to ascend and descend.

Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge (Kobe-Naruto, Japan)

Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, also known as the Pearl Bridge.
It is a suspension bridge that crosses the Akashi Strait, liaising between Maiko in Kobe and Iwaya on Island Awaji.
It is the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a total length of 3911 m and 1991 m opening.
Bridge is 4,073 m long cable and 112 cm thick, is constructed so as to withstand winds of 286 km / h, earthquake of 8.5 on the Richter scale and the strong water currents in the area.
Summer because of the heat, the length of the bridge is going to vary by up to 2 meters on the same day.
The two support towers stands at 298 m above sea level.

Hangzhou Bay Bridge (Zhejiang, China)

Hangzhou Bay Bridge is a long highway bridge with a cable-stayed portion across Hangzhou Bay in the eastern coastal region of China.
It connects the municipalities of Jiaxing and Ningbo in Zhejiang province. At 35.673 km (22 mi) in length, Hangzhou Bay Bridge is one of the longest trans-oceanic bridges in the world.
Construction of the bridge was completed on June 14, 2007, and an opening ceremony was held on June 26, 2007, to great domestic media fanfare.
The bridge was not opened to public use until May 1, 2008, after a considerable period of testing and evaluation.
The bridge shortened the highway travel distance between Ningbo and Shanghai from 400 km (249 mi) to 280 km (174 mi) and reduced travel time from 4 to 2.5 hours.

Magdeburg Water Bridge (Magdeburg, Germany)

The Magdeburg Water Bridge is a navigable aqueduct in Germany, opened in October 2003 and part of the Magdeburg crossing of waterways.
It connects the Elbe-Havel Canal to the Mittellandkanal, crossing over the Elbe River.
It is notable for being the longest navigable aqueduct in the world, with a total length of 918 metres (3,012 ft).
The Elbe–Havel Canal and Mittelland Canal canals had previously met near Magdeburg but on opposite sides of the Elbe, which was at a significantly lower elevation than the two canals.
Ships moving between the two had to make a 12-kilometre (7.5 mi) detour, descending from the Mittelland Canal through the Rothensee boat lift into the Elbe, then sailing downstream on the river, before ascending to the Elbe-Havel Canal through Niegripp lock.
Low water levels in the Elbe often prevented fully laden canal barges from making this crossing, requiring time-consuming off-loading of cargo.

Brooklyn Bridge (New York City, US)

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. With a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m), it was the longest suspension bridge in the world from its opening until 1903, and the first steel-wire suspension bridge.
Originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge and as the East River Bridge, it was dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge, a name from an earlier January 25, 1867 letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and formally so named by the city government in 1915. Since its opening, it has become an icon of New York City, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972.

Nanpu Bridge (Shanghai, China)

The Nanpu Bridge, in Shanghai, China, sister bridge to the Yangpu Bridge, is one of the main bridges in Shanghai.
The cable-stayed bridge was designed by the Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute, Shanghai Urban Construction College, and Shanghai Urban Construction Design Institute, with assistance from Holger S. Svensson.
It has a main span of 428 meters (1,388 ft), shorter than its sister bridge. It is the 57th longest cable-stayed bridge in the world, opened to the public in 1991.

Richmond Bridge (London, England)

Richmond Bridge is an 18th-century stone arch bridge in south west London, England, which was designed by James Paine and Kenton Couse, and which crosses the River Thames at Richmond, connecting the two halves of the present-day London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
The bridge, which is a Grade I listed building, was built between 1774 and 1777, as a replacement for a ferry crossing which connected Richmond town centre on the east bank with its neighbouring district of East Twickenham (St. Margarets) to the west.
Its construction was privately funded by a tontine scheme, for which tolls were charged until 1859.
The bridge was widened and slightly flattened in 1937–40, but otherwise still conforms to its original design. The eighth Thames bridge to be built in what is now Greater London, it is today the oldest surviving Thames bridge in London.

Chapel Bridge (Lucerne, Switzerland)

The Chapel Bridge is a 204 meter (670 foot) long bridge crossing the Reuss River in the city of Lucerne in Switzerland. It is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, and one of Switzerland’s main tourist attractions. The covered bridge, constructed in 1333, was designed to help protect the city of Lucerne from attacks. Inside the bridge are a series of paintings from the 17th century, depicting events from Luzerne’s history. Much of the bridge, and the majority of these paintings, were destroyed in a 1993 fire, though it was quickly rebuilt.

Chengyang Bridge (Dong Minority, China)

Chengyang Bridge (also known as Wind and Rain Bridge) was built in 1916, and it is the most famous among the wind and rain bridges in the Dong Minority Region in China. The bridge stretches across the Linxi River and it still in heavy use. It is constructed of wood and stone without nails or rivets and is the largest of all the wind and rain bridges. It is 64.4 meters long, 3.4 meters wide and 10.6 meters high.

Alcántara Bridge (Alcántara, Spain)

Crossing the Tagus River at Alcántara in Spain, the Alcántara Bridge is a masterpiece of ancient Roman bridge building. The bridge was built between 104 and 106 by an order of the Roman Emperor Trajan in 98 AD, who is honored by a triumphal arch in the center of the bridge and a small temple at one end. The Alcántara Bridge has taken more damage from war than from the elements. The Moors destroyed the smallest arch on one side while the second arch on the other side was destroyed by the Spanish to stop the Portuguese.

Si-o-se Pol (Isfahan, Iran)

Si-o-se Pol (The Bridge of 33 Arches) is a famous bridge in the Iranian city of Isfahan. It is highly ranked as being one of the most famous examples of Safavid bridge design. Commissioned in 1602 by Shah Abbas I, the bridge is build of bricks and stones. It is 295 meters long and 13.75 meters wide. It is said that the bridge originally comprised 40 arches however this number gradually reduced to 33.

Rialto Bridge (Venice, Italy)

The Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. It is the oldest bridge across the canal. The present stone bridge, a single span designed by Antonio da Ponte, was completed in 1591 and was used to replace a wooden bridge that collapsed in 1524. The engineering of the bridge was considered so audacious that some architects predicted a future collapse. The bridge has defied its critics to become one of the architectural icons of Venice.
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