明石海峡大橋 | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°36′58″N135°01′14″E / 34.6162°N 135.0205°ECoordinates: 34°36′58″N135°01′14″E / 34.6162°N 135.0205°E |
| Carries | Six lanes of the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway and four emergency lanes |
| Crosses | Akashi Strait[1] |
| Locale | Awaji Island and Kobe[1] |
| Other name(s) | Pearl Bridge[2] |
| Maintained by | Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Company Limited (JB Honshi Kōsoku) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Suspension bridge[1] |
| Total length | 3,911 metres (12,831 ft; 2.430 mi) |
| Height | 282.8 metres (928 ft) (pylons)[1] |
| Longest span | 1,991 metres (6,532 ft; 1.237 mi)[1] |
| Clearance below | 65.72 metres (215.6 ft) |
| History | |
| Designer | Satoshi Kashima |
| Construction start | 1988[1] |
| Construction end | 1998[1] |
| Opened | April 5, 1998 |
| Statistics | |
| Toll | ¥2,300 |
| Location | |
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Construction Process Fast Week 1
This is the global website of Obayashi Corporation and the Obayashi Group of companies. It provides information on corporate philosophy, history, services, and the construction projects. After vigorous testing had taken place, construction of the real bridge could begin. The two towers stand on two large circular foundations. The moulds for the two foundations were built in dry dock weighing 15 000 tonnes and 60 metres in height.
The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge (明石海峡大橋, Akashi Kaikyō Ōhashi) is a suspension bridge, which links the city of Kobe on the Japanese mainland of Honshu to Iwaya on Awaji Island. It crosses the busy Akashi Strait (Akashi Kaikyō in Japanese) as part of the Honshu–Shikoku Highway. It was completed in 1998,[1] and has the longest central span of any suspension bridge in the world,[3] at 1,991 metres (6,532 ft; 1.237 mi). It is one of the key links of the Honshū–Shikoku Bridge Project, which created three routes across the Inland Sea.
History[edit]
Before the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge was built, ferries carried passengers across the Akashi Strait in Japan. This dangerous waterway often experiences severe storms, and in 1955 two ferries sank in the strait during a storm, killing 168 people. The ensuing shock and public outrage convinced the Japanese government to develop plans for a bridge to cross the strait. The original plan called for a mixed railway-road bridge, but when construction on the bridge began in April 1988, the construction was restricted to road only, with six lanes. Actual construction did not begin until May 1988 and involved more than 100 contractors.[4] The bridge was opened for traffic on April 5, 1998 in a ceremony officiated by the Crown Prince Naruhito and his spouse Crown Princess Masako of Japan along with Construction Minister Tsutomu Kawara.[4]
Structure[edit]
The bridge has three spans. The central span is 1,991 m (6,532 ft; 1.237 mi),[1] and the two other sections are each 960 m (3,150 ft; 0.60 mi). The bridge is 3,911 m (12,831 ft; 2.430 mi) long overall. The two towers were originally 1,990 m (6,530 ft; 1.24 mi) apart, but the Great Hanshin earthquake on January 17, 1995, moved the towers so much (only the towers had been erected at the time) that the span had to be increased by 1 m (3.3 ft).[1]
The bridge was designed with a dual-hinged stiffening girder system, allowing the structure to withstand winds of 286 kilometres per hour (178 mph), earthquakes measuring up to magnitude 8.5, and harsh sea currents. The bridge also contains tuned mass dampers that are designed to operate at the resonance frequency of the bridge to dampen forces. The two main supporting towers rise 282.8 m (928 ft) above sea level, and the bridge can expand because of heat by up to 2 m (6.6 ft) over the course of a day. Each anchorage required 350,000 tonnes (340,000 long tons; 390,000 short tons) of concrete. The steel cables have 300,000 kilometres (190,000 mi) of wire: each cable is 112 centimetres (44 in) in diameter and contains 36,830 strands of wire.[5][6]
The Akashi–Kaikyo bridge has a total of 1,737 illumination lights: 1,084 for the main cables, 116 for the main towers, 405 for the girders and 132 for the anchorages. Sets of three high-intensity discharge lamps in the colors red, green and blue are mounted on the main cables. The RGB colour model and computer technology make for a variety of combinations. Twenty-eight patterns are used for occasions such as national or regional holidays, memorial days or festivities.[7]
The towers are located in an area of strong tidal currents where water velocity exceeds 7 knots (about 3.6 m/s). The selected scour protection measure includes the installation of a filtering layer with a thickness of 2 m in a range of 10 m around the caisson, covered with rip raps of 8 m thick.[8]
Cost[edit]
The total cost is estimated at ¥500 billion or US$3.6 billion (per 1998 exchange rates).[4] It is expected to be repaid by charging drivers a toll to cross the bridge. The toll is 2,300 yen and the bridge is used by approximately 23,000 cars per day.[2]
See also[edit]
- Xihoumen Bridge in China
- Great Belt in Denmark
References[edit]
- ^ abcdefghijAkashi Kaikyo Bridge at Structurae
- ^ ab'Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Akashi Strait, Japan'. Road Traffic Technology. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
- ^Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge – HSBE
- ^ abcCooper, James D. 'World's Longest Suspension Bridge Opens in Japan'. United States Department of Transportation – Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^Akashi Kaikyo Bridge at everything2[self-published source]
- ^Friedl, Jeffrey (December 9, 2008). 'Heavy Lifting: Supporting the Longest Suspension Bridge in the World'. Jeffrey Friedl's Blog.
- ^'Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Akashi Strait, Japan'. Retrieved 2015-04-26.
- ^'Scour protection at Akashi Kaikyo bridge'. Archived from the original on 2019-05-07. Retrieved 2019-05-05.
External links[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge. |
- Akashi Kaikyo Bridge at Structurae
The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, with a length of almost four kilometers, is the world’s longest suspension bridge. Opened in 1998, it spans the Akashi Strait (Akashi Kaikyo) between Kobe and Awaji Island and is part of the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway.
Prior to the bridge’s construction, the strait was considered one of the world’s most dangerous waterways. For instance, in 1955 a severe storm caused two ferries to sink resulting in the deaths of 168 people.
How to get to Akashi Kaikyo
If you are coming from Osaka, you have to get down at the Maiko Station, on the Sanyo Line. Shinkansen trains don’t stop here, you have to use a local train. I had purchased a Kansai Wide Pass. If you want to stop at various stations just to take photos this pass makes it very cheap to travel around the Kansai region.
Once you come out of the Maiko station, you will have to cross the road and walk past the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Exhibition Center on the left. A few meters away a small lane goes right to the edge of the Akashi Strait.
It took 180,000 tonnes of steel to complete the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
It is a substantial 6-lane road bridge that connects Kobe on the main island of Honshu with Iwyaya on the smaller Japanese island of Awaji. This, in turn, is linked to the island of Shikoku via the Ōnaruto Bridge over the Naruto Strait.
The bridge was originally planned by the Japanese National Railways (now JR) in the mid-1950’s, as part of a rail link between the islands of Honshu and Shikoku. In 1975, after an exhaustive study, the Japanese government elected to build JR’s bridge, the Seto Bridge, over a much shorter span closer to Okayama. If you have been to the island of Shikoku by rail, you must have already used this route.
About 300,000 kilometers of cabling was used in the bridge’s construction
The length of the bridge alone presented a tremendous challenge to the engineers, but that wasn’t the only issue they had to face in designing this monumental structure. For one, the bridge also had to be tall enough to let boat traffic in the strait pass unimpeded.
As the bridge stands in a seismically unstable part of the world, engineers also needed to ensure its design would stand the test of time. To this end, the bridge includes a complex system of counterweights, pendulums, and steel-truss girders that allow the bridge to withstand wind speeds of up to 290 km/h. The foundation depth of the bridge is equivalent to that of a 20-storey apartment. Yet despite its inherent strength, the bridge is also able to expand and contract several times a day.
The rocky bank is a beautiful spot to take a shot of the lovely bridge. I had reached the spot at around 5 pm. The bridge is exactly 3,911 meters long, has three spans supported by two main supporting towers that stand 297 meters apiece and a series of anchoring cables. This makes Akashi Kaikyo Bridge also one of the world’s tallest.
Light was pretty bright. At first I took some shots with a 10-stop ND filter. They came out okay. I wasn’t too excited to see the results since the skies had no drama.
The bridge is used by around 25,000 cars everyday
How I took captured Night View of Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
After that I walked further west along the coast but couldn’t find a better spot, so I walked back to the earlier spot and waited for the lights to come on and then took this shot. I used the 10-24mm nikkor at 24mm on my Nikon D7100. I lowered the aperture to F16 to slow down the shutter speed to get the water to look smooth.
The Akashi–Kaikyo bridge has a total of 1,737 illumination lights!
The Akashi–Kaikyo bridge has a total of 1,737 illumination lights: 1,084 for the main cables, 116 for the main towers, 405 for the girders and 132 for the anchorages. Sets of three high-intensity discharge lamps in the colors red, green and blue are mounted on the main cables. The RGB colour model and computer technology make for a variety of combinations.
Visitor Information
How long did it take to build the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge?Ten years (1988 -1998)
What is the longest span bridge in the world?Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
Why is the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge called the Pearl Bridge?The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is called the ‘Pearl Bridge’ because of the 28 different patterns and various colors of lights used to illuminate her at night. When illuminated it gives the appearance of beautiful pearls on a necklace.
Who designed Akashi Kaikyo Bridge?Honshu Shikoku Bridge Authority
When was Akashi Kaikyo opened to public?April 5, 1998
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Construction Process Fast Week 9
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Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Facts
Credits: The historical information presented herein is gathered mostly from Wikipedia and local guides.