Incheon Bridge (2009) Seoul, South Korea
The Incheon Bridge (or Incheon Grand Bridge) is a 12.3km (7.4 miles) reinforced concrete toll bridge in Seoul, South Korea. It was constructed in 2009 to provide a high speed link from New Sondo City and the metropolitan districts of Seoul to the Incheon International Airport on Yongjing island.
Built in just four and a half years, the bridge comprises two approach viaducts with 50m (163 ft) cantilever spans leading to a cable stayed section of 1,480m (4,855 ft). The main span is 800m (2,625ft) wide supported by two 230m (756 ft) tall towers. The bridge deck is 33.4m (110 ft) wide and carries six lanes of traffic 74m (243 ft) above water level.
Incheon Bridge, Seoul under construction © By Ryan Wick [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The bridge is equipped with large expansion joints to accommodate movement between the decks and was designed to be capable of withstanding typhoon strength winds of up to 72m/sec, earthquakes of up to 7 points in magnitude and impact from ship collisions. It is one of the longest fixed-link sea crossings in the world.
The bridge was built at an estimated cost of more than $1.4bn (KRW1.25 trillion) and was funded entirely through private sector investment. The UK’s Construction News magazine selected the Incheon Bridge as one of the 10 architectural wonders of the world.