Akashi Kaikyō Bridge

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Akashi Kaikyō Bridge
Akashi Kaikyō Ō-hashi (明石海峡大橋?)
Akashi Bridge.JPG
Akashi Kaikyō Bridge from the air
Other name(s) Pearl bridge
Carries six lanes of roadway
Crosses Akashi Strait[1]
Locale Awaji Island and Kobe[1]
Maintained by Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Authority
Designer Satoshi Kashima
Design Suspension bridge[1]
Total length 3,911 metres (12,831 ft; 2.430 mi)
Clearance below 65.72 metres (215.6 ft)
Construction begin 1988[1]
Construction end 1998[1]
Opened April 5, 1998
Toll ¥2,300
Coordinates 34°36′59″N 135°01′13″E﻿ / ﻿34.61639°N 135.02028°E﻿ / 34.61639; 135.02028Coordinates: 34°36′59″N 135°01′13″E﻿ / ﻿34.61639°N 135.02028°E﻿ / 34.61639; 135.02028
Akashi Kaikyō Bridge is located in Japan
Akashi Kaikyō Bridge
(video) The bridge, as seen from the deck of a ferry.

The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge (明石海峡大橋 Akashi Kaikyō Ō-hashi?), also known as the Pearl Bridge, links the city of Kobe on the mainland of Honshu to Iwaya on Awaji Island, in Japan. It crosses the busy Akashi Strait (Akashi Kaikyō in Japanese). It carries part of the Honshu-Shikoku Highway.

Since its completion, in 1998,[1] the bridge has the longest central span of any suspension bridge in the world,[2]][self-published source] at 1,991 metres (6,532 ft; 1.237 mi)



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 suspension 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 the bridge was opened for traffic on April 5, 1998.[3] The Akashi Strait is an international waterway that necessitated the provision of a 1,500-metre (4,900 ft; 0.93 mi)-wide shipping lane.[citation needed]


Main supporting towers

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; 1 mi). The bridge is 3,911 m (12,831 ft; 2 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 two 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 pendulums 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 (7 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.[4]

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. On the main cables three high light discharged tubes are mounted in the colors red, green and blue. The RGB model and computer technology make for a variety of combinations. Currently, 28 patterns are used for occasions as national or regional holidays, memorial days or festivities.[citation needed]



See also[edit]


  2. ^ Akashi Kaikyo Bridge at everything2[self-published source]
  3. ^ Cooper, James D. "World's Longest Suspension Bridge Opens in Japan". United States Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 14 February 2012. 
  4. ^ Supporting the Longest Suspension Bridge in the World
  5. ^ Megastructures. National Geographic for Channel Five.

External links[edit]