Top 10 most 'exotic' and 'unique' water bridges in the world

Not only are the modern scientific and technical achievements valuable in water transport, these " exotic " water bridges also become tourist attractions, attracting passengers.

The bridge ( known as "this river on the other river" ) is a bridge structure that carries canals to allow ships to move through rivers, valleys, railways and roads. Here are 10 of the most " exotic " and " unique " water bridges in the world.

1. Pontcysyllte water bridge - England

Pontcysyllte water bridge is located in the system that leads water from Llangollen canal to coal mines in Denbighshire and the canal system in Wales, across the Dee river valley. Began construction in 1795 and completed in 1805, this work is said to be the longest and tallest water bridge in Britain. In addition, it is listed on Grade I Listed Building and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pontcysyllte water bridge was built by Thomas Telford and William Jessop. The Pontcysyllte Bridge consists of a steel trough of about 307 meters long, 3.4 meters wide and 1.6 meters deep, lying on 18 pillars built of 38m high stone.

Boat towing lines are mounted on the water surface, with side edges attached with cast iron posts. In addition, there is a pedestrian corridor on the bridge. The construction of materials such as steel and stone makes the bridge light, making small boats and passengers able to move easily through it. When newly put into use, Pontcysyllte water bridge facilitates the mining industry in Denbighshire. However, today, the bridge is only used to serve visitors.

02. Håverud Water Bridge - Sweden

Håverud water bridge was one of the greatest technical achievements of the time. In the mid-1860s, the Håverud bridge was built to serve as a bridge over the Dalsland canal system, allowing ships to travel between Lake Vänern and the central area of ​​Dasland and the southwestern lake of Värmland district. .

This work is a 33.5m long steel trough system, which is assembled together by 33,000 rivets. Today, the Dalsland canal system is a place that attracts many visitors because of the beautiful natural landscape, combined with the elevated water, road and railway traffic system. You can sit on a boat or walk on this water bridge to see the waterfall flowing down below and the road vehicles running above.

03. Magdeburg water bridge - Germany

The Germans spent more than 80 years building 918m of water bridge across the Elbe River located near the town of Magdeburg. Engineers building the canal system connected the Elbe-Havel Canal with the Mittelland Canal, which shortened the travel time between these two channels from a distance of 12km to 1km.

Construction began in 1905 but was delayed due to the Second World War, until 1997 the Magdeburg bridge was rebuilt and completed in 2003.

After the consolidation of Germany, water traffic routes were prioritized to be rebuilt. In 1997, this project was rebuilt, lasting for 6 years at a cost of up to 500 million euros. This Magdeburg water bridge will connect Berlin's inland port with the ports along the Rhine. With a total length of 918 meters, the bridge needs 24,000 tons of steel and 68,000m of concrete blocks including 3 sections 228m long, 34m wide and 4.25m deep. Today, Magdeburg water bridge is considered the most modern water bridge in the world.

04. Ringvaart Haarlemmermeer water bridge - Netherlands

Located near Roelofarendsveen ( town located west of the Netherlands ), the Ringvaart Canal crosses the A4 motorway with a water bridge. Ringvaart Haarlemmermeer water bridge was built in 1961, so it is the oldest water bridge in the Netherlands. In 2006, the construction work was completed in two parts: eastward with a new freeway lane extending to the north and heading west to the new HSL-Zuid high-speed rail. This water bridge is 1.8 km long.

05. Pont du Sart - Belgium

Pont du Sart is a bridge that carries water from the Centrumkanaal ( west of Belgium ) to cross the N55 and N535 roads near Houdeng-Goegnies town.

This water drainage system is constructed of concrete with a length of 498m and a width of 46m, a weight of about 65,000 tons supported by 28 concrete pillars and a diameter of 3m each.

06. Water bridge Veluwemeer - Netherlands

Veluwemeer is a water bridge crossing the N032 highway near the small town of Harderwijk, eastern Netherlands. It is a small part of Lake Veluwemeer, and helps connect the Dutch mainland with the island called Flevoland ( known as one of the greatest man-made structures in the world) .

Veluwemeer water bridge has a length of 25 meters, each day about 28,000 vehicles pass through. The bridge was opened in 2002.

07. Briare water bridge - France

Briare water bridge brings water from the Latéral à la Loire Canal to cross the Loire River to the Seine of France. From 1896 to 2003, the Briare water bridge was considered the longest water bridge system in the world until 2003, when the Magdeburg water bridge in Germany was put into use, taking its number one position.

Briare water bridge is built on 14 piers. These piers are single steel beams supporting steel channels containing more than 13,000 tons of water, with a depth of 2.2m and a width of 6m allowing boats and a 1.8 meter wide net to pass through. The width of the water bridge is 5.2 meters and the length of this water system is 662.7 meters.

08. Water Bridge Naviduct Krabbersgat - Netherlands

The Naviduct Krabbersgat water bridge in the Netherlands is a waterway system that supports ships traveling between Lake Markermeer and Ijsslmeer lake, which is integrated by a two-way locking mechanism because the water level between the two lakes is low and high. This is a unique large project consisting of a ship lock with a road traffic tunnel formed to reduce traffic congestion for both vehicles and sea travel traffic.

This giant architecture has a length of 125 meters and a width of 25 meters. Besides, 1,450 m3 of soil was displaced to replace 20,000 m3 of concrete. Naviduct Krabbersgat water bridge was inaugurated in 2003.

09. Edstone Bridge - England

Edstone Water Bridge is one of three water bridges located over 6km of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire. Unlike other water bridges, the towing line is located at the bottom of the canal. With a length of 145m, Edstone water bridge is the longest water bridge in the UK. It flows through a small road between Birmingham Railway and North Warwickshire Railway.

10. Langdeel Water Bridge - Netherlands

Langdeel Water Bridge is located on the highway N31, near the city of Leeuwarden in the north of the Netherlands. This water bridge has the same name as the channel system.

Beginning construction in 2004, the Langdeel water bridge was completed in 2007. The water bridge has a depth of 2.78 meters ( 9 ft ), 25 meters ( 82 ft ) wide and 110 meters ( 360 ft) long . In addition, it was built on three rows of concrete columns.