All of us have crossed a bridge at some point in our lives. In the physical sense, a bridge might be made of wood, concrete, or steel. It probably stretched over some river or creek somewhere. We might have looked over the side as we crossed, thinking about all the things that might have been down there.
Those good bridges do more than move us from one place to another. They are feats of imagination and engineering. Honestly, I think they are rather incredible as they carry trucks, trains, cars, and people across great spans.
In some cases, they inspire awe. Think of some of the great bridges in the world, like the Golden Gate Bridge rising out of the San Francisco fog, or London’s Tower Bridge, which is as much artwork as infrastructure.
Some bridges are short. But some are incredibly long. So, what about the world’s longest bridges? The record-breakers.
At the very top is China’s Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge. This thing is an astonishing 102 miles long. They built it in just four years to carry high-speed rail. It cost $8.5 billion and was designed to withstand earthquakes, typhoons, and even collisions with massive ships. Now that is some crazy-long bridge.
Next is Taiwan’s Changhua-Kaohsiung Viaduct. It is nearly 97 miles across. It was constructed as a chain of bridges to flex with earthquakes.
Following close behind are China’s Cangde Grand Bridge (72 miles) and Tianjin Grand Bridge (70 miles). Both of them are vital parts of the country’s railway system.
The Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge, once the world’s longest, still stretches an impressive 49 miles.
Bridges aren’t just concrete and steel. They are much more than tahat. They are connections. Between here and there. Between cities, economies, and people. It seems almost impossible that many of these bridges could be built.
With that in mind. Sometimes, we humans really can span the impossible.
Bridges.
They come into our lives in many other ways. It is those invisible bridges I’m talking about. Those moments when we leave one moment behind and we step into another. Sometimes this is small. Other times it is huge.
Bridges are transition points, carrying us from what was to what comes next. And so we go.
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“Build bridges, not walls.” — Suzy Kassem
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“Words are bridges into unexplored worlds.” — Anaïs Nin
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“Education is the bridge between confusion and clarity.” — Debasish Mridha
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“A bridge can still be built, while the bitter waters are flowing beneath.” — Anthony Liccione
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