1. Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge

Construction started         : 2006

Completed                          : 2010

Total length                        : 164,800 m

Opened                                : June 30, 2011

Project cost                         : 8.5 billion dollars

Body of water                     : Yangcheng Lake 

Bridge type                         : Viaduct

Location                              : Nanjing, Shanghai

Wokers Employed              : 10,000

The Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge is the world's longest bridge. Bridges plays an important role in the development of the country. It's not only open the doors for travels purposes but also connect the worlds with each others. The rapid expansion of high speed rail networks in China has attracted much attention. The country only began constructing high speed lines as late as 2005, but already boasts an operational high-speed network exceeding 10,000km, with the target for 2020 projected at 50,000km. Railway-technology.com profiles the five longest high speed rail corridors in China, based on the length completed as of 2013.With the help of modern science and technology man can made numerous types of bridges.  Construction began on April 18, 2008, and a ceremony to mark the completion of track laying was held on November 15, 2010. The line is scheduled to be put into commercial service on June 20, 2011. In these bridges Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge which is situated in China is hold the record of the world's longest bridge. This bridge is built on the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway. The bridge is located in between the Shanghai City and Nanjing city in East China’s Jiangsu province. It is in the Yangtze River Delta where the geography is characterized by lowland rice paddies, canals, rivers and lakes. The bridge runs roughly parallel to the Yangtze River, about 8 to 80 km (5 to 50 mi) south of the river. It passes through the northern edges of population centers (from west to east) beginning in Danyang,Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou and ending in Kunshan. There is a 9-kilometre long (5.6 mi) section over open water across Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou. The bridge is 260 feet wide with a basement of 2000 pillars held with the help of steel cables. With this bridge being built of 450,000 tons of steel structure, China became the country with 3 largest bridges in the world.The length of this bridge is a 164.8 KM. This massive and incredible man-made structure was completed in 2010 after 4 grueling years of detailed and planned construction. This, however, was only opened to the public in 2011. This huge project costs approximately 8.5 billion dollars and has employed roughly 10,000 workers on site. This bridge was primarily made in order to solve railway traffic in the said area.
Mega structures are nowadays commonly seen almost everywhere. Because of the advancement of technology and the improvement of machinery, tall sky scrapers and many other intricate infrastructures are already made possible. One of these man-made designs is none other than the world famous bridges. A bridge is defined as a structure that is built to cross physical barriers between two places such as bodies of water, hills, valleys or roads in order to serve its purpose as a passage or route for travelers. The design as well as the type of bridge usually varies depending on its function, nature of the terrain and as well as the setting where the bridge is constructed. The budget as well as the materials to be use can also influence the total outcome of the bridge. These days, bridges can be seen connecting thousands of places from all over the world. These incredible structures have paved way for easier transportation and access from one place to another.

However, just like any other buildings or constructions, there are also record holders for the different bridges in the world. As for the longest, China’s Danyang kunshan Grand Bridge still remains undisputed. Here are some interesting facts on Danyang Kunshan Grand Bridge.

The richest countries in the world never fail to show off when it comes to building mega structures such as these bridges. This is why China is known to be one of the world’s most powerful countries since it houses some of the best and largest infrastructures across the globe. This includes none other than the Danyang Kunshan Grand Bridge, which is already recognized as the longest of its kind in the entire world.

The Danyang Kunshan Grand Bridge is actually made of different or several bridges. One of its parts is called as the Qingdao Haiwan Road Bridge, which is a portion of the Danyang Kunshan Grand Bridge and is also recognized as the longest bridge over water. This bridge has a length of 42.5 kilometers or 26.5 miles and runs from Qingdao of East China’s Shandong Province to the suburban Huangdao district over the Jiaozhou Bay. Because of this, China instantly became the country with the most number of longest bridges in the world.

The bridge also consists of over 450,000 tons of steel structure, which explains the high number of workers involved. According to Chinese officials, the Danyang Kunshan Grand Bridge is a very sturdy infrastructure that can withstand strong typhoons, magnitude 8 earthquakes and an impact that is equal to a 300,000 ton vessel. As soon as this bridge was completed, it immediately took the crown from the previous title holder, which is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, USA. This bridge is measured 24 miles long and is dangling over the Pontchartrain. Because of this Chinese innovation, china now holds both the longest land and water colossal bridges.

These are just some of the wonderful and interesting facts about the world’s longest bridge that goes by the name of Danyang Kunshun Grand Bridge.

The railway authority has also decided that the fastest train service between the two mega-cities will make an extra stop in Nanjing (capital of Jiangsu province), according to an official with the transport bureau under the Ministry of Railways. The Beijing-Shanghai high speed train will run at speeds between 155mph - 185mph and provide three services: "non-stop" (which actually will stop in the old imperial capital of Nanjing), a medium-fast service stopping in provincial capitals and a "full service" stopping in 24 stations along the line. An estimated 220,000 passengers are expected to use the trains each day, which is double the current capacity. During peak hours there should be a train every five minutes. 1,140 km, or 86.5% of railway is elevated. There are 244 bridges along the line. The 164-km long Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge is the longest bridge in the world, the 114-km long viaduct bridge between Langfang and Qingxian is the second longest in the world, and the viaduct between Beijing's Fourth Ring Road and Langfang is the fifth longest. The average commercial speed from Beijing to Shanghai was planned to be 300 km/h, which would cut the train travel time from 10 hours to 5 hours.The bridge is located on the rail line between Shanghai and Nanjing in East China’s Jiangsu province. It is in the Yangtze River Delta where the geography is characterized by lowland rice paddies, canals, rivers and lakes. The bridge runs roughly parallel to the Yangtze River, about 8 to 80 km (5 to 50 mi) south of the river. It passes through the northern edges of population centers (from west to east) beginning in Danyang,Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou and ending in Kunshan. There is a 9-kilometre long (5.6 mi) section over open water across Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou.

It was completed in 2010 and opened in 2011. Employing 10,000 people, construction took four years and cost about $8.5 billion. Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest bridge in the world in any category as of June 2011.