Akashi Kaikyō Bridge

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Coordinates: 34 ° 37 ′ 8 ″  N , 135 ° 1 ′ 16 ″  E

Akashi Kaikyō Bridge
Akashi Kaikyō Bridge
Aerial view of the bridge
Official name 明石 海峡 大橋 Akashi-kaikyō ōhashi
use Motor vehicles (6 lanes)
place Awaji and Kobe
construction Suspension bridge
overall length 3911 m
Longest span 1991 m
height 297.3 m
Clear height 65 m
opening April 5, 1998
toll 2,300 yen
location
Akashi Kaikyō Bridge (Hyōgo Prefecture)
Akashi Kaikyō Bridge
Location of Awaji-shima Island
Location-of-Awaji-island-en.png
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The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge ( jap. 明石海峡大橋 Akashi-Kaikyō Ōhashi , dt. Large bridge of Akashi - strait ) is a highway suspension bridge in Japan . It connects the district of Tarumi-ku of Kobe on the main island of Honshū with the place Awaji on the southern island of Awaji-shima with 2 × 3 lanes. With a span of 1991 m, it has been the longest suspension bridge in the world since it opened in 1998 .

history

The impetus for the construction of the bridge was the fact that the dangerous waterway had to be crossed by ferries, which were repeatedly in distress due to heavy storms. Two ferries sank in 1955 and 168 people died.

The foundation stone was laid in April 1986, and construction began in May 1988.

Originally the distance between the two 297.3 m high piers was exactly 1990 m. The devastating earthquake in Kobe on January 17, 1995, the epicenter of which was about 2 km east of the south tower, pushed the two bridge towers almost a meter further apart, so that the distance today is exactly 1990.8 m. Since the bridge was still under construction at the time, the adaptation to it did not cause any difficulties.

The bridge was opened to traffic on April 5, 1998. The costs amounted to the equivalent of 3.3 billion US dollars.

Technical specifications

Bridge geometry

The total length of the bridge between the support cable anchors is 3911 m, the width between the support cables 35.5 m. The bridge has a total of three spans, the middle longest is 1991 m, the two outer spans each have a span of 960 m. Each of the two suspension cables has a diameter of 112.2 cm and consists of 36,830 wires with a diameter of 5.23 mm each. The steel pylons are 297.3 m above the water surface. The stiffening girder that supports the roadway is a 14.0 m high steel framework construction. The anchoring of the bridge has dimensions of 63 mx 84 m, which protrude into the granite floors on the sides of the bridge.

The total weight of the bridge (without towers, road surface and fixtures) is 148,000 tons. Matched vibration absorbers were built into the two towers of the bridge, each weighing 23,000 tons , to counteract vibrations during earthquakes and typhoons .

The bridge is illuminated by 1737 lights, 1084 of them on the main lines, 116 on the main towers, 404 on the bridge girders and 132 on the anchorages. Different combinations of red, green and blue lights illuminate the bridge differently depending on the national holiday or festivity.

construction

The anchorage was made using a special foundation construction technique. The anchorage had to be driven 61 meters below sea level. The excavation had to be done in the open air. For this reason, a 2.2-meter-thick ring-shaped diaphragm wall was built with a diameter of 85 m , which was later used as a retaining wall . The excavation in the diaphragm wall was completed by laying rolled concrete . The foundation construction was completed with steel pipes and ground anchors to support the surrounding soil. The excavated foundation was filled with specially developed flowing concrete. The construction of both anchorages was completed with a load-bearing steel frame that is used to anchor the main tensioning cables.

gallery

Web links

Commons : Akashi Kaikyō Bridge  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Akashi Kaikyō Bridge . Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  2. earthquakes are "leveled out"
  3. World's Longest Suspension Bridge Opens in Japan . Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  4. Honshu-Shikoku Bridges. Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Company, p. 15 , accessed May 13, 2011 .
  5. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Akashi Strait, Japan . Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  6. World's Longest Suspension Bridge Opens in Japan / Bridge Construction and Features . Retrieved April 26, 2015.