Impressive Buildings

Vasco Da Gama – bridge

The Vasco Da Gama Bridge is the longest bridge in Europe with a total length of 17.2 km. It is located in Lisbon (Portugal) over Tagus River and is a a cable-stayed bridge flanked by viaducts and roads.

The bridge was constructed in 18 months and was opened to traffic on 29 March 1998. It was named Vasco Da Gama in memory of the famous Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama.

The bridge has 6 road lens  and maxim speed limit admitted is 120km/h, but in rainy or foggy days the speed limit is reduced to 90km/h. If the traffic reach an average of 52000 daily, the bridge will be enlarged with two other road lens. Read the rest of this entry »

Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge, one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, stretches 5,989 feet (1825 m) over the East River, connecting the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn (on Long Island). Upon completion, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, the first steel-wire suspension bridge, and the first bridge to connect to Long Island. Originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, it was dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge in an 1867 letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and formally so named by the city government in 1915. Since its opening, it has become an iconic part of the New York skyline. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964.

Chao Phraya Bridges, Bangkok, Thailand

The Kanchanaphisek Outer Ring Road (southern section), and in particular the Chao Phraya Bridge, has been a stop-and-start project since it was first conceived in 2001 and announced by Bangkok governor Samak. The 20km (12 mile) section of motorway will fulfil several functions by completing the connection around the city, and providing a road link to the new Bangkok International Airport at Nong Ngu Hao, Suvannabhum, which opened in 2006.

The river crossing was actually planned as a dual tunnel system when the project was first conceived; however engineering problems with the geology beneath the river bed and cost issues ruled this out at an early stage.
Read the rest of this entry »

Cooper River Bridge Replacement, SC, USA

The construction of the Cooper River Bridge was a design/build project to replace two old bridges in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and Charleston The new bridge, which opened in July 2005 connects two major municipal areas and offers eight lanes for traffic plus a pedestrian/bike lane. The bridge measures 2.5 miles in length and has increased vertical and horizontal navigational clearance over its predecessors to reduce hindrance to river traffic (road deck is 200ft above the average high tide mark).

The Port of Charleston, the second largest container cargo port on the East Coast, has significant economical impact through the large number of jobs, income and tax revenue it produces. This project has enhanced national and international shipping accessibility to the Port.

The Cooper River Bridge cost approximately $632m. It was funded partly through an approved direct Federal TIFIA loan of up to $215m. The loan repayment source is a subordinate pledge of SCTIB revenues. These primarily consist of existing truck registration fees and loan repayments to the SCTIB.
Read the rest of this entry »