Quote:
Originally Posted by ardecila
Ah, makes you nostalgic for the era when the US did megaprojects like this, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, etc.
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yeah, big spans (>2,000') have been few and far between in the US/canada in recent decades.
that's one more reason why this new bridge in detroit is so damn exciting!
we don't build a whole lot of big spans these days (unlike china, dear god! 69 big spans completed + 31 U/C!!!)
2000'+ spans in the US/Canada:
1. Verrazzano Narrows - 4,260' - 1964
2. Golden Gate - 4,200' - 1937
3. Mackinac - 3,800' - 1957
4. George Washington - 3,500' - 1931
5. Tacoma Narrows #1 - 2,800' - 1950
5. Tacoma Narrows #2 - 2,800' - 2007
5. Gordie Howe - 2,800' - 2024 - U/C*
8. New Carquinez - 2,390' - 2003
9. Bay Bridge West - span 1 - 2,310' - 1936
9. Bay Bridge West - span 2 - 2,310' - 1936
11. Bronx-Whitestone - 2,300 - 1939
12. Pierre Laporte - 2,190' - 1970
13. Delaware Memorial #1 - 2,150' - 1951
13. Delaware Memorial #2 - 2,150' - 1968
15. Walt Whitman - 2,000' - 1957
(*) Gordie Howe is the only cable-stayed bridge on the list, the rest are all suspension bridges.
all but 3 of the above big spans were built between 1931 and 1970.
and another notable exception for Mighty Mac is that it's the only one on the list that's in the relative middle of nowhere.
all of the rest are in or around major metropolitan areas.
the closest large-ish city to the mackinac bridge is grand rapids, over 200 miles to its south.