A Brief History of Bridges From Stone to Suspension

Located in the south of France, the Pont du Gard is one of the finest examples of Roman Empire bridge-building. The Romans built bridges for all sorts of purposes, from pedestrian travel to trade to transporting water. The Pont du Gard aqueduct with its stone arches came in as the tallest at 160 feet, crossing the Gardon River when it was completed in the first century AD. With its three tiers of arches, the Pont du Gard serves as an example of impressive Roman bridge technique that served for centuries and stands tall to this day.

Ushering in the modern age of materials, the first-ever major single-span bridge built of cast iron opened in 1781 over the Severn in England, fittingly named "Ironbridge." With a structure that took under two years to build, the 100-foot-long span connected the working areas around Telford, Shopshire, northwest of Birmingham, serving not only a symbol of the Industrial Revolution, but as a real and functional example of what the new, industrial world could build.

Connecting mainland Wales with the island of Angleseyand, the main span of the world’s first major suspension bridge opened in 1826 with a length of 577 feet, though the bridge reached 1,368 feet in total. Designer Thomas Telford used arched limestone and 16 wrought-iron chains, each made of 935 iron bars, for the original suspension cables. Since replaced by steel, the original iron chains were over 1,700 feet in length, weighing 136 tons.

The world’s first steel suspension bridge not only featured the longest span in the world at 1,600 feet, but towers that made it the tallest structure in the Western Hemisphere when it opened in 1883. The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City has a total length of 5,989 feet, height of 276 feet, and width of 85 feet which made it unparalleled in stature, use, and landmark status.

Started in 1886 and wrapped up in 1894 the Tower Bridge is not only a true symbol of London, but also an impressive combination of both a bascule (or "moving") and suspension bridge over the River Thames. With a longest span of 270 feet, the bridge reaches 801 feet in total length with a height of 213 feet. With two bascule counterbalances weighing over 1,000 tons each, the lower deck can open at an 86-degree angle. Located nearby the famed Tower of London, the bridge—not to be confused with London Bridge—also features two distinct towers and an elevated walkway.

Arguably still the most recognizable bridge in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco wowed the world upon its opening in 1937 as the longest and tallest suspension bridge on the planet. With a main span of 4,200 feet, a total length of 8,981 feet and a total height of 746 feet, it's still the tallest bridge in the United States and remained the longest suspension bridge in the world until 1964.

The longest suspension bridge in the world spans the Akashi Strait in Japan, linking Kobe to Awaji Island with a central span of over 1.2 miles in length. The entire bridge stretches over two miles. Opened in 1998, it remains unsurpassed in length and requires suspension towers of nearly 1,000 feet in height to anchor the suspension system. The 10-year construction project has enough cabling to circle the globe seven times.