IMAGINATIVE BRIDGES --CLEARLY, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!

Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas, France

This sophisticated bridge in Bordeaux France can boast the title of  Europe’s longest vertical lift bridge, with four traffic lanes and an outboard  sidewalk and bicycle lane. The lift structure has four independent  pylons towers supporting the span weight, and can lift to a height of  50 meters (164 feet).

2. Gateshead Millennium Bridge, UK

Spanning the River Tyne, this bridge is nicknamed the Winking Eye Bridge  because of its eye-shaped look when in motion. The bridge has a deck for  pedestrians and cyclists, and a supporting arch. The bridge rotates as a single  structure, with the arch lowering and the deck rising, counterbalancing  each other, forming a pathway for water traffic.

3. Vizcaya Bridge, Spain

The Vizcaya Bridge in Biscay, Spain connects the two towns of Portugalete and  Las Arenas over the Ibaizabal River. The locals refer to the bridge as Puente  Colgante, meaning suspension bridge, even though it is a transporter  bridge, with a different structure. This bridge also happens to be the  world’s oldest transporter bridge, as it was built in 1893. Its gondola can  transport six cars, as well as passengers and cyclists .

4. Submersible Bridges, Corinth Canal, Greece

The Corinth Canal was built between 1881 and 1893 and was quite an  achievement in its day. The canal went on to save ships a 700 km  (435 mile) journey because they no longer needed to go around the  Peloponnesian peninsula.  It’s very narrow and can only accommodate one ship  at a time. The submersible bridges were built in 1988 and their decks are  lowered 8 meters (26ft) below the water, allowing for tall shipping vessels  to use the canal.

5. Puente de la Mujer, Argentina

This rotating footbridge in commercial Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, is known  in Spanish as “The Women’s Bridge”. This 800 ton pedestrian bridge has  two fixed sections and a middle section which rotates 90 ⁰ in order to allow for  the water traffic to pass.

6. River Hull Footbridge, UK

This footbridge in Hull, Yorkshire, is also known as the Scale Lane Bridge.  An exciting feature of this bridge is that it rotates while pedestrians are still  on it. The bridge takes two minutes to open or close for water traffic  and offers pedestrians a unique experience of the city. At night, the bridge’s  lights turn on and off while the bridge moves, making for a fascinating light  show.

7. El Ferdan Railway Bridge, Egypt

Egypt’s El Ferdan Railway Bridge, resting over the Suez Canal, connects  the Sinai Peninsula with mainland Egypt. This bridge is 335m (1,100 feet)  and is the world’s longest swing bridge. It takes 30 minutes to open or close.  It remains open for water traffic and is only closed when the train needs to  cross the canal.

8. Hörn Bridge, Germany

Kiel Germany’s Horn River features a folding bridge, with a three-segment  bascule. The innovative bridge folds into an “N” shape. The bridge is  nicknamed Klappt-Nix-Brücke, meaning Fold-not Bridge because initially it  experienced many malfunctions.

9. Foryd Harbor Bridge, UK

This modern bridge operates a bit like a sailing boat with a mast, rigging  system, cables and pulley mechanism. This eye-catching pedestrian bridge is  located in the seaside resort town of Rhyl on the coast of Wales.

10. Slauerhoffbrug, Netherlands

This tail bridge is located in the city of Leeuwarden and is nicknamed  the Flying Drawbridge. This yellow and blue automatic bascule bridge has a  pylon which can quickly raise the deck, allowing for water traffic to pass,  while only briefly delaying road movement.