List of longest masonry arch bridge spans
Encyclopedia
The masonry
arch bridge
s of stone or brick are the most genuine of arch bridges, some lasting a thousand years. Because they are made of worked stone, there is a slight chance they might even stand without mortar, like the Pont du Gard aqueduct. Yet arch bridges using rough hewn stones like Changhong Bridge need mortar to stand. Arches with a core of reinforced concrete covered by facade stone for decoration are not to be included in this list, the load-bearing part of the arch should be cut stone or brick, or as follows, unreinforced concrete.
In a closed spandrel stone arch bridge the hollow space can be filled with rubble and loose material. It can also be filled with concrete, in which case the filling itself become able to bear load in addition to the load carried by the ring of voussoir
s. If the voussoir stones are thin they can not take a lot of weight so instead it is the concrete filling that becomes the structural part of the arch. The next step is to remove the voussoir stones completely, or only use them as facade stones. An unreinforced concrete arch is technically a masonry arch that use only very small stones, that is the aggregate of the concrete
, sand and gravel. Such an arch would not stand without mortar.
Some modern bridges are built masonry style with precast concrete blocks, like Gladesville Bridge
that has a span of 305 metres (1000 ft). These types are not in this list because their blocks are most likely made of reinforced concrete, that may make the assembled arch to have more in common with a modern reinforced concrete arch than a stone masonry arch.
The Maidenhead Railway Bridge
may have the two longest arches made of brick
s, 39 metres (128 ft).
Building new masonry arch bridges today is a solely Chinese
business. There are 18 stone arch bridges with spans exceeding 100m. There are probably several dozens of stone arches exceeding 40m in the Fujian
province only. Almost all bridges were built after 1950.
This list contains the longest masonry arch spans ever built being at least 50 metres (164 ft).
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
arch bridge
Arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
s of stone or brick are the most genuine of arch bridges, some lasting a thousand years. Because they are made of worked stone, there is a slight chance they might even stand without mortar, like the Pont du Gard aqueduct. Yet arch bridges using rough hewn stones like Changhong Bridge need mortar to stand. Arches with a core of reinforced concrete covered by facade stone for decoration are not to be included in this list, the load-bearing part of the arch should be cut stone or brick, or as follows, unreinforced concrete.
In a closed spandrel stone arch bridge the hollow space can be filled with rubble and loose material. It can also be filled with concrete, in which case the filling itself become able to bear load in addition to the load carried by the ring of voussoir
Voussoir
A voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault.Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The keystone is the center stone or masonry unit at the apex of an arch. A...
s. If the voussoir stones are thin they can not take a lot of weight so instead it is the concrete filling that becomes the structural part of the arch. The next step is to remove the voussoir stones completely, or only use them as facade stones. An unreinforced concrete arch is technically a masonry arch that use only very small stones, that is the aggregate of the concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
, sand and gravel. Such an arch would not stand without mortar.
Some modern bridges are built masonry style with precast concrete blocks, like Gladesville Bridge
Gladesville Bridge
Gladesville Bridge is an arch bridge near Gladesville that spans the Parramatta River, west of central Sydney, Australia. It links the suburbs of Huntleys Point and Drummoyne. It is a few kilometres upstream of the more famous Sydney Harbour Bridge and is part of Victoria Road...
that has a span of 305 metres (1000 ft). These types are not in this list because their blocks are most likely made of reinforced concrete, that may make the assembled arch to have more in common with a modern reinforced concrete arch than a stone masonry arch.
The Maidenhead Railway Bridge
Maidenhead Railway Bridge
Maidenhead Railway Bridge is a railway bridge carrying the main line of the Great Western Railway over the River Thames between Maidenhead, Berkshire and Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England...
may have the two longest arches made of brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
s, 39 metres (128 ft).
Building new masonry arch bridges today is a solely Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
business. There are 18 stone arch bridges with spans exceeding 100m. There are probably several dozens of stone arches exceeding 40m in the Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
province only. Almost all bridges were built after 1950.
This list contains the longest masonry arch spans ever built being at least 50 metres (164 ft).
| Photo | | Rank and Reference | | Name | | Location | | Land | | Longest span in metre Metre The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology... s (feet Foot (unit of length) A foot A foot A foot (plural: feet; abbreviation or symbol: ft or ′ (the prime symbol) is a unit of length in a number of different systems including Ancient Greek, Ancient Roman, English units, Imperial units, United States customary units and the units of many Continental European... ) | Arch type | | Completed | Note |
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| Linked Image | http://www.arch-bridges.cn/Show.asp?PaperID=225 | Danhe Bridge | Shanxi Shanxi ' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period.... |
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146 (479) | ws | 2000 | Deck system concrete |
| Linked Image | http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001904 | Wuchaohe Bridge | Fenghuang Fenghuang Fenghuang are mythological birds of East Asia that reign over all other birds. The males are called Feng and the females Huang. In modern times, however, such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and the Feng and Huang are blurred into a single feminine entity so that the bird can be... |
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120 (393) | ws | 1990 | Concrete deck |
| Linked Image | http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001905 | Jiuxigou Bridge | Sichuan Sichuan ' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu... |
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116 (380) | ws | 1972 | Deck system concrete |
| Linked Image | http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001901 | Changhong Bridge | Yunnan Yunnan Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with... |
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112 (369) | ws | 1961 | |
| http://www.arch-bridges.cn/attach/07/Stone%20arch%20bridges%20in%20Fujian,%20China%20.pdf p270 | Jin-shan Bridge | Fujian Fujian ' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait... |
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99 (324) | ws | 1972 | ||
| http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0001221 | Pont de la Libération | Villeneuve-sur-Lot Villeneuve-sur-Lot Villeneuve-sur-Lot is a town and commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France. The commune was formerly named Villeneuve-d'Agen.... |
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96 (315) | uc | 1919 | There are two very thin parallel arches with a common deck Linked Image | |
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http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001703 | :de:Syratalviadukt | Plauen Plauen Plauen is a town in the Free State of Saxony, east-central Germany.It is the capital of the Vogtlandkreis. The town is situated near the border of Bavaria and the Czech Republic.Plauen's slogan is Plauen - echt Spitze.-History:... |
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90 (295) | uc | 1905 | The arch is made of unreinforced concrete. The sides are decorated with facade stone. The bridge has been repaired. |
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http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001907 | Longmen Bridge | Luoyang Luoyang Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of... |
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90 (295) | ws | 1961 | One main span... (Linked Image) |
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http://www.brueckenweb.de/datenbank/bruecken/brueckenblatt.php?bas=9211 | Solkan Bridge Solkan Bridge Solkan Bridge is a 220-metre long stone bridge over the river Soča near Nova Gorica in western Slovenia. With an arch span of 85 metres it is the second longest stone arch in the world and the longest stone arch among train bridges. It was built in the time of the Secession, between 1900 and... |
Nova Gorica Nova Gorica Nova Gorica ; 21,082 ; 31,000 ) is a town and a municipality in western Slovenia, on the border with Italy... |
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85 (278) | ws | 1906 | Destroyed. Rebuilt 1927. |
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http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0000519 | Adolphe Bridge Adolphe Bridge Adolphe Bridge is an arch bridge in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. The bridge takes road traffic across the Pétrusse, connecting Boulevard Royal, in Ville Haute, to Avenue de la Liberté, in Gare... |
Luxembourg City |  |
84 (275) | ws | 1904 | Reinforced concrete deck. There are two parallel arches with a common deck. |
| http://pagesperso-orange.fr/etcomp/bellegarde/tramway.htm | Pont de Montanges (Pont-des-Pierres) | Valserine river | |
80 (262) | ws | 1910 | Destroyed tramway bridge Linked Image | |
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http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0002867 | :fr:Viaduc de la Roizonne | La Mure La Mure La Mure is a commune in the Isère département in south-eastern France.It is located south of Grenoble on the plateau Matheysin.-Neighbour communes:* Prunières* Sousville* Susville* Ponsonnas* Pierre-Châtel* Saint-Honoré-Main sights:... |
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79 (260) | ws | 1928 | |
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http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0004605 | Trezzo sull'Adda Bridge Trezzo sull'Adda Bridge The Trezzo sull'Adda Bridge or Trezzo Bridge was a medieval bridge at Trezzo sull'Adda in Lombardy, Italy, spanning the Adda river. Completed in 1377, the single arch bridge held the record for the largest span for over four hundred years, until the beginnings of the Industrial Age, while it was... |
Lombardy Lombardy Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe... |
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72 (236) | ws | 1377 | Destroyed in 1416 |
| Linked Image | http://www.karl-gotsch.de/Brdaten/Daten_233.htm | Steyrling Bridge | de:Pyhrn Railroad |  |
70 (230) | ws | 1904 | |
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http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001282 | Union Arch Bridge Union Arch Bridge The Union Arch Bridge, also called the "Cabin John Bridge," is a historic masonry structure in Cabin John, Maryland. It was designed as part of the Washington Aqueduct and as a roadway bridge. The bridge construction began in 1857 and was completed in 1864. The roadway surface was added later... |
Maryland Maryland Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east... |
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67 (220) | ws | 1864 | Part of the Washington Aqueduct Washington Aqueduct The Washington Aqueduct is an aqueduct that provides the public water supply system serving Washington, D.C., and parts of its suburbs. One of the first major aqueduct projects in the United States, the Aqueduct was commissioned by Congress in 1852, and construction began in 1853 under the... |
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http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0029521 | :de:Sonnborner Eisenbahnbrücke | Wuppertal Wuppertal Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land... |
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66 (216) | ws | 1914 | Instead of the keystone Keystone (architecture) A keystone is the wedge-shaped stone piece at the apex of a masonry vault or arch, which is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allowing the arch to bear weight. This makes a keystone very important structurally... there is a steel hinge |
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http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001544 | Gutach Gutach im Breisgau Gutach is a town in the district of Emmendingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.Gutach includes six villages:* Gutach* Bleibach* Siegelau* Stollen* Kregelbach* Oberspitzenbach-Twin towns:... Bridge |
Höllental Railroad | |
64 (209) | ws | 1900 | |
| http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0012036 http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0012036 http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0012036 | Iller Bridges | Kempten im Allgäu Kempten im Allgäu Kempten is the largest town in Allgäu, a region in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. The population was ca 61,000 in 2006. The area was possibly settled originally by Celts, but was later overtaken by the Romans, who called the town Cambodunum... |
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64 (209) | uc | 1906 | Three bridges, one a steel truss Linked Image | |
| http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0002891 | Pont de la Balme La Balme La Balme is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-References:*... |
Savoie Savoie Savoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860... |
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64 (209) | ws | 1946 | The span has two parallel arches | |
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http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0001016 | :de:Luitpoldbrücke (München) | Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat... |
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63 (206) | ws | 1901 | BW |
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http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001017 | :de:Max-Joseph-Brücke | Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat... |
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63 (206) | ws | 1902 | BW |
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http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0006492 | Grosvenor Bridge Grosvenor Bridge (Chester) The Grosvenor Bridge is a single-span arch road bridge constructed from stone. It crosses the River Dee at Chester in England. The bridge is located on the A483 Grosvenor Road . Views upriver from the bridge include Chester Castle and Handbridge. The view downstream from the bridge encompasses the... |
Chester Chester Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the... |
61 (200) | ws | 1832 | The span is probably 61 m | |
| http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0002896 | Lavaur Lavaur, Tarn Lavaur is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.It lies 37 km southeast of Montauban by rail.-History:Lavaur was taken in 1211 by Simon de Montfort during the wars of the Albigenses, a monument marking the site where Dame Giraude de Laurac was killed, being thrown down a well... Railroad Bridge |
Agout River | |
61 (200) | ws | 1884 | ||
| http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001696 | Wechselburg-Göhrer Bridge | Saxony Saxony The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states.... |
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60 (196) | ws | 1904 | ||
| Linked Image | http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001900 | Huanghugang Bridge | Hunan Hunan ' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting... |
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60 (196) | ws | 1959 | |
| http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001907 http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001907 | Longmen Bridge | Luoyang Luoyang Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of... |
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60 (196) | ws | 1961 | ...and two side spans. (Linked Image) | |
| http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0005649 | de:Wallstraßenbrücke | Ulm Ulm Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and... |
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57 (187) | uc | 1905 | Destroyed. Piers and deck of reinforced concrete. | |
| http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0021647 | Ballochmyle Viaduct Ballochmyle Viaduct The Ballochmyle Viaduct is the highest extant railway viaduct in Britain.-History:The viaduct was designed by John Miller of Edinburgh for the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway. This railway was the northern part of the line from Glasgow to Carlisle via Kilmarnock... |
Mauchline Mauchline Mauchline is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a recorded population of 4105. It lies by the Glasgow and South Western Railway line, 8 miles east-southeast of Kilmarnock and 11 miles northeast of Ayr. It is situated on a gentle slope about 1 mile from the River Ayr,... |
55 (180) | ws | 1848 | Linked Image | ||
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http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0000643 | Wiesen Viaduct Wiesen Viaduct The Wiesen Viaduct is a single track limestone railway viaduct. It spans the Landwasser River southwest of the hamlet of Wiesen, in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland.... |
Landwasser River Landwasser River The Landwasser is a river in Switzerland. Its origin was Lake Davos before this was turned into a reservoir for a power station. Nowadays it is fed entirely by Flüelabach and changes its name near Davos. Davos is the largest town and except for the last bit the only municipitality on the river... |
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55 (180) | ws | 1909 | |
| http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0002869 | Pélussin Pélussin Pélussin is a commune in the Loire department in central France.-See also:*Communes of the Loire department... Tramway Bridge |
Loire Loire Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon... |
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55 (180) | ws | 1919 | Linked Image | |
| http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0014777 http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0014777 | Pont de Rabastens Rabastens Rabastens is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-References:*... |
Tarn | |
55 (180) | ws | 1924 | Two spans, reinforced concrete deck Linked Image | |
| http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0002840 | Pont de Vieille-Brioude Pont de Vieille-Brioude Pont de Vieille-Brioude is located in France, crossing Allier River. It is a masonry arch bridge with a span of that was built in 1832.... |
Allier River Allier River The Allier is a river in central France, and is the left tributary to the Loire River. Its source is in the Massif Central, in the Lozère département, east of Mende. It flows generally north... |
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54 (177) | ws | 1479 | Collapsed 1822, successor (1832) spans only 45 m (147.6 ft) | |
| Linked Image | http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001902 | Yixiantian Bridge | Chengdu–Kunming Railway Chengdu–Kunming Railway The Chengdu–Kunming Railway or Chengkun Railway , is a major trunkline railroad in southwestern China between Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province and Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province. The line is long and traverses rugged terrain from the Sichuan Basin to the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. ... |
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54 (177) | ws | 1966 | Deck system concrete |
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http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001965 | Gignac Bridge Gignac Bridge Gignac Bridge carries the N109 road over the Hérault River, 1 km west of the town of Gignac in the Hérault département of France... |
Hérault Hérault Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790... |
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50 (164) | ws | 1810 | |
| http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0002146 http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0002146 http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0002146 http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0002146 | fr:Viaduc de Nogent-sur-Marne | Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne is a French department, named after the Marne River, located in the Île-de-France region. The department is situated to the southeast of the city of Paris.- Geography :... |
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50 (164) | ws | 1856 | Four spans, destroyed | |
| http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0006250 | Munderkingen Munderkingen Munderkingen is a town in the district of Alb-Donau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is situated on the Danube, 9 km southwest of Ehingen, and 31 km southwest of Ulm.... Bridge |
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants... |
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50 (164) | uc | 1893 | Destroyed | |
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http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0002813 | :fr:Viaduc des Eaux-salées | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur or PACA is one of the 27 regions of France.It is made up of:* the former French province of Provence* the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin... |
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50 (164) | ws | 1914 | |
| Linked Image | http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001899 http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0001899 | Baisha Bridge | Zhejiang Zhejiang Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital... |
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50 (164) | ws | 1960 | Two spans |
See also
- List of longest arch bridge spans — longer spans are made with steel or steel and concrete