One of the amazing innovations of modern civil engineering is the different kinds of bridges that are popping up across the world. Well, practically though the bridges are just a connection from point A to point B; the creative architects and engineers have come up with breathtaking contraptions of their version of a bridge. San Francisco Bridge and the London Bridge are now treated as a common, if not a boring and clichéd option for travellers. However, options like the glass bridges in China are what pique a traveller’s interest.
Satellite image of Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, PC: NASA
Louisiana’s longest bridge
Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is one of the top ten longest bridges in the world and cuts straight across the lake in southeastern part of Louisiana. All you can see once you are on the bridge is a long stretch of piercing blue water on either side. Travellers who love to drive from one coast of the USA to the other must try this bridge.
Another bridge built along the similar lines, which makes for a better satellite image and an entertaining drive is Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in Shandong province, eastern China.
Aerial view of the bridge over the lake
Interestingly, both these bridges were competing for the title of the ‘world’s longest bridge’ over water and both won. Call it bureaucracy or technicality – the Lake Pontchartrain causeway was given the title of the ‘longest bridge over water (continuous)’ and Jiaozhou Bay Bridge was given the title of ‘longest bridge over water (aggregate)’!