Our list of the tallest bridges in the world comprises the top 5 bridges whose structural height is over 320 meters.
Noteworthy, the structural height of a bridge is the maximum vertical distance from the uppermost part of a bridge to the lowermost exposed part of the bridge. The uppermost part of the bridge is the top of a bridge tower while the lowermost exposed part of the bridge is where its piers, towers, or mast pylons emerge from the surface of the ground or water.
Also Read:Â Longest bridges in the world
Note that, structural height is different from deck height. The latter is the distance between the bridge deck or rather the roadbed of a bridge and the ground or water surface beneath the bridge.Â
Tallest bridges in the world
- Millau Viaduct in France (height 336.4 meters)
- 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey (height 334 meters)
- Pingtang Bridge in China (height 332 meters)
- Husutong Yangtze River Bridge in China (325 meters)
- Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge in Turkey (height 322 meters)
1. Millau Viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world
The Millau Viaduct is the tallest bridge in the world with a structural height of 336.4 meters. The multi-span cable-stayed bridge crosses the gorge valley in southern France. It is a part of the A75–A71 autoroute axis from Paris to Béziers and Montpellier.
The viaduct features an elegant and aerodynamic design. It consists of seven pylons, or pillars, that support the road deck with a series of cable-stayed segments. The structure is made primarily of steel and concrete, combining strength and flexibility to withstand wind, temperature changes, and other environmental factors.
The Millau Viaduct was completed back in 2004, after over three years of construction. The cost of construction was approximately US$ 424 million.
2. 1915 Çanakkale Bridge
The second tallest bridge in the world is the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge. This is a 334-meter road suspension bridge that spans the Dardanelles Çanakkale province. It is the centrepiece of the planned 321-kilometre-long Kınalı-Balıkesir Motorway. Upon completion, the US$2.8 billion motorway will connect the O-3 and O-7 motorways in East Thrace to the O-5 motorway in Anatolia.
1915 Çanakkale Bridge was officially opened in 2022 after roughly five years of construction. Its construction cost was US$ 2.7 billion. Noteworthy, the year “1915” in the bridge’s official Turkish name honours an important Ottoman naval victory. The victory in question was against the navies of the United Kingdom and France during World War I.
3. Pingtang Bridge, the third tallest bridge in the world
Located in Pingtang, Guizhou, China, Pingtang Bridge is the third tallest bridge in the world. It has a structural height of 332 metres. The bridge carries the Pingtang Luodian Expressway over the deep Caodu River valley.
The multi-span cable-stayed bridge was opened to traffic on 30 December 2019. It gobbled US$ 215 million during construction.Â
4. Husutong Yangtze River Bridge
Husutong Yangtze River Bridge, the combined rail and road bridge that crosses the Yangtze River in Jiangsu, China, is the fourth tallest in the world.
The bridge carries a six-lane highway in addition to four railway tracks with a design speed of 200 km/h on its upper level and its lower level respectively.Â
Construction of the Husutong Yangtze River Bridge began on 1 March 2014.
5. Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge
Also known as the Third Bosphorus Bridge, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge is the fifth-tallest bridge in the world. It has a structural height of 322 meters.
Spanning over the Bosphorus Strait, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge is part of the projected 260 km Northern Marmara Motorway. The latter will bypass urban areas of northern Istanbul connecting Kınalı, Silivri in the west and Paşaköy, Hendek in the east.
The foundation stone of this vehicular bridge project was laid on 29 May 2013 at an estimated cost of US$ 2.5 billion. The bridge opened to traffic on 26 August 2016.
