10. Bridge at Tsing Ma, Hong Kong
Situated in Hong Kong's New Territories
Founded in 1997
Price: $7.2 billion
In Hong Kong, the Ma Wan Channel is crossed by the Tsing Ma Bridge. Anglo-Japanese Construction designed it, and construction started in 1992. The span of the bridge is the fourteenth longest suspension bridge globally. It was the second-longest in the world when it was finished in the 1990s. The longest in terms of rail traffic.
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Hong Kong's Tsing Ma Bridge ©Terry Sze/Shutterstock
The Tsing Ma Bridge has six lanes. At its main span, it spans 4,518 feet and clears 174 feet. There are two train lanes on the second level of the double-decker bridge. In a wind tunnel, the Tsing Ma was created to provide both aerodynamic stability and safety. Before introducing new automobile models, General Motors conducts the same tests on its designs.
The Tsing Ma Bridge features a significant ship impact protection feature in addition to being a landmark and becoming quite a picturesque location with its own visitor center and viewing platform. Every bridge tower has a base with rock seawalls that are powerful enough to stop a 220,000-ton ship traveling at 9.2 miles per hour.
11. France's Pont Gustave-Flaubert
situated in the French Normandy city of Rouen, Seine Maritime
Founded in 2007
Expense: *$162.44 million
Normandy's Pont Gustave-Flaubert is named for the Rouen-born novelist Gustave Flambert, who lived in the nineteenth century. The Rouen City Council held a competition in 2006 to choose the name. The Rouen residents were engaged by the city council and given the opportunity to vote on a list of names. René-Robert Cavelier, a Rouen-born fur merchant and explorer from the seventeenth century, and the renowned novelist were the last two.
Pont Gustave-Flaubert, France; Pinterest; Greg Tasnadi
Starting in 2004, the building process took four years to complete. September 25, 2008, was its opening day. The Pont Gustave-Flaubert was constructed by Quille, a division of Bouygues, in collaboration with Eiffage, the same firm that constructed the Eiffel Tower.
The Gustave-Flaubert spans 2,200 feet and opens to a height of 180 feet, clearing 23 feet when closed. There are over 50,000 automobiles on the road every day. Thirty times a year, the lift part opens to let cruise ships from firms like Royal Caribbean, Ponant, and others pass, as well as the Rouen Armada.
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