We will take a look at the 15 longest bridges in the world. To skip our analysis of the construction industry, you can go directly to see the 5 Longest Bridges in the World.
The Construction Industry: An Analysis
The construction industry is one of the world’s largest industries with respect to spending as well as contributions to the GDP. The industry encompasses real estate, infrastructure, and industrial structures and accounts for 13% of the world’s GDP, according to a McKinsey report.
The construction industry, similar to almost all other industries, was severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The industry is on a path to recovery with construction spending peaking at $1.57 trillion in July 2021. The $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is also expected to act as a catalyst for the growth of the construction industry in the United States.
On a global scale, the industry is expected to face significant headwinds from multiple factors such as inflation, supply chain issues, and labor shortages. Multiple projects faced delays due to lockdowns and other safety measures taken during the peak of coronavirus pandemic. Contractors are still dealing with the backlogs in project delivery across multiple projects. A prime example is the Metro Manila Skyway System expansion project which was scheduled for completion in 2019 and still hasn’t been finalized.
The global construction market was valued at $10.7 trillion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3.57% to $15.2 trillion by 2030. The growth is expected to be led by China, United States, and India. Major trends in the industry include the continuous growth of urbanization, and technological advancements including digitalization of the industry.
Some of the biggest construction companies across the globe are China Communications Construction Group, China Railway Construction Corporation Limited, Pacific Construction Group, and VINCI, among others. There are several notable names in the construction industry of United States, such as Jacobs Solutions Inc. (J), Bechtel Corporation, Fluor Corporation (NYSE:FLR), D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI) Granite Construction Inc. (NYSE:GVA) and Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT), among others. Engineering News-Record (ENR) and Trenchless Technology ranked Jacobs Solutions Inc. as the #1 design and engineering firm in the world.
A notable event related to the large-scale infrastructure development projects is the destruction of the Crimean Bridge by Ukraine in October 2022. The Crimean Bridge, comprising a 4-lane road and a double-track railway line, spans 18.1 km (11.25 miles) and is the only direct road link between the transport networks of Crimea and Russia. The Bridge was built by Stroygazmontazh, also known as the S.G.M. Group, at a total cost of $3.7 billion.
Methodology
We picked the longest bridges in the world based on their total length in meters. Our list is ranked in an ascending order of bridge length.
15. Yangcun Bridge
Length of Bridge: 35,812 meters
Completed in 2007, the Yangcun Bridge is a railway bridge spanning 35,812 meters (22.253 miles), located in China. The bridge is a part of the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway project which connects the Beijing Railway and Tianjin Railway networks.
The total length of the railway project was designed to be 115 kilometers, which can accommodate speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour. The project was one of the earliest high-speed railway lines to be constructed in China and was built by China Railway Group Limited, one of the world’s largest construction and engineering contractors.
14. Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway Main Link
Length of Bridge: 36,140 meters
Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway is a mega bridge project that comprises two distinct projects: the Main Link that connects Kuwait City with the future Madinat al-Hareer (Silk City) in Subiyah in one direction, and the Doha Link which connects Kuwait City with Doha and Kuwait Entertainment City. The Main
Photo by David Martin on Unsplash
Link has made onto our list of 15 longest bridges in the world with a bridge spanning 36,140 meters (22.456 miles).
The Main Link comprises two carriageways, in each direction, with 3 traffic lanes, and an emergency lane, with an aim to reduce the travel time to 20 minutes from 70 minutes. South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering & Construction was the lead contractor on the Main Link project which was opened to the public in May 2019. The complete project, comprising both links, had a construction cost of $3.6 billion.
13. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Skyway
Length of Bridge: 36,400 meters
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Skyway, formerly known as the Jakarta-Cikampek II Elevated Toll Road, is located in Indonesia. The elevated expressway, which was opened for public in 2019, spans 36,400 meters (22.62 miles). The toll-road extends from Cikunir, Bekasi, to Karawang in West Java, Indonesia, and passes over some parts of the existing Jakarta-Cikampek toll-road.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Skyway expressway was built with the objective to reduce traffic congestion within the Greater Jakarta area as well as to reduce the traffic load from the existing Jakarta-Cikampek toll-road. The toll-road is operated by PT. Jasamarga Jalan Layang Cikampek, a subsidiary of PT Jasa Marga Tbk and PT Nusantara Infrastructure Tbk.
12. Manchac Swamp Bridge
Length of Bridge: 36,710 meters
The Manchac Swamp Bridge, with a total length of 36,710 meters (22.80 miles), is located in the state of Louisiana and carries Interstate 55 and U.S. Route 51 over the Manchac Swamp in Louisiana. The bridge was opened for public in 1979 and was reportedly built at a cost of $7 million per mile.
With increasing demand for infrastructure spending to cater to the environmental and economic requirements, construction companies like Fluor Corporation (NYSE:FLR), D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI) Granite Construction Inc. (NYSE:GVA) and Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) have strong growth prospects.
11. Wuhan Metro Line 1
Length of Bridge: 37,788 meters
The Wuhan Metro Line 1 is an elevated intracity public transportation metro line in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province of China. It is the longest elevated metro line in the world with total length of 37.8 km (23.48 miles). The Line comprises of 32 stations and was opened for public in 2004.
10. Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
Length of Bridge: 38,442 meters
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the longest bridge located in the United States and has been ranked the longest bridge over water in the whole world, according to Guinness World Records. The Causeway comprises of two parallel bridges which connect Mandeville and Metairie across the Lake Pontchartrain in southeastern Louisiana. The longer of the two bridges has a total length of 38,442 meters (23.875 miles). The southbound bridge was opened for public in 1956 while the northbound bridge was opened for public in 1969.
Amid huge infrastructure spending pledged by the Biden administration, construction companies like Fluor Corporation (NYSE:FLR), D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI) Granite Construction Inc. (NYSE:GVA) and Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) have strong growth prospects.
9. Metro Manila Skyway System
Length of Bridge: 39,200 meters
The Metro Manila Skyway System, colloquially known as the Skyway, is an elevated expressway in Metro Manila, Philippines. The expressway spans 39.2 km (24.4 miles) and connects North Luzon Expressway and South Luzon Expressway. It passes major urban areas including Caloocan, Manila, Makati, Taguig, and others, and eases traffic congestion in these areas by providing an alternative route above the existing major highways.
The Skyway was built in multiple stages with Stage 1 construction started in 1995 and opened for public in 1999, while Stage 2 was built during 2009 to 2011. Stage 3 is still under construction with a major portion of the Skyway opened for public. The concessionaires for all stages of the expressway, operated as a toll-road, are held by subsidiaries of San Miguel Corporation through SMC Infrastructure.
8. Beijing Grand Bridge
Length of Bridge: 48,153 meters
The Beijing Grand Bridge is the third longest bridge out of more than 20 bridges that are part of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway. The bridge has a total length of 48,153 meters or 29.92 miles and connects Beijing West 4th Ring Road to Langfang city. The bridge was built by China Railway Group Limited, one of the world’s largest construction and engineering contractors. It was opened for public in 2011.
7. Bang Na Expressway
Length of Bridge: 54,000 meters
The Bang Na Expressway, officially known as the Burapha Withi Expressway (full name: Bang Na – Bang Phli – Bang Pakong), is a six-lane elevated highway in Thailand. The Expressway runs above the National Highway route 34 and stretches from the eastern edge of Bangkok to the city of Chon Buri, with a total length of 54,000 meters or 33.55 miles. The Expressway is operated as a toll-road and is owned by the state-owned Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT).
The bridge was completed at a cost of nearly $1 billion over the course of 5 years and was opened to the public in 2000.
It took a grand total of 1.8 million cubic meters of concrete to build the bridge. Considering the amount of resources deployed for the completion of this project, projects of similar nature can also have a strong positive impact on the top and bottom line of companies such as Fluor Corporation (NYSE:FLR), D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI) Granite Construction Inc. (NYSE:GVA) and Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT).
6. Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge
Length of Bridge: 79,732 meters
Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge is the sixth longest bridge in the world with a total length of 79.73 km or 49.54 miles. The Grand bridge crosses the Wei River twice, as well as many other rivers, highways and railway tracks. It is part of the Zhengzhou–Xi’an High-Speed Railway which connects Zhengzhou in Henan province and Xi’an in Shaanxi provinces, in China. The railway line cost a grand total of $5.2 billion and was opened for public in 2010.
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Disclosure: None. 15 Longest Bridges in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.