Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective, does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
Bridges on our planet have been built since time immemorial. And if in ancient times these were, rather, primitive crossings, today structures of incredible size and colossal amount of work are being erected around the world. Over the past few centuries, hundreds of reliable, original and simply beautiful bridges have been erected on the territory of Europe. But few of them differ in length. We have selected for your attention the eight longest.
Mile-long road: top 8 longest bridges in Europe
| Nomination | a place | name | Length |
| top 8 longest bridges in Europe | 8 | Second Severn Bridge, UK | 5,128 km. |
| 7 | Presidential Bridge, Russia | 5,825 km. | |
| 6 | Great Belt, Denmark | 6.79 km. | |
| 5 | Øresund Bridge, Sweden / Denmark | 7,845 km. | |
| 4 | Saratov Bridge, Russia | 12.76 km. | |
| 3 | Alekseevsky bridge across the Kama, Russia | 13,967 km. | |
| 2 | Vasco da Gama bridge, Portugal | 17.2 km. | |
| 1 | Crimean (Kerch) bridge, Russia | 19 km. |
Second Severn Bridge, UK
Rating: 4.3
Length: 5.128 km
This road cable-stayed bridge was created with the aim of connecting the banks of the Severn, located in Wales and England. The first concrete mentions of a crossing from one part of Britain to another appeared in the middle of the 19th century, when steamship and rail links were being actively established.
The first crossing in the full sense of the word appeared only a century later – in 1966. It was the suspended Severn Bridge, stretching for a distance of just over 1.5 km. They started talking about the creation of a new crossing 20 years later, when the bridge simply ceased to cope with the car load. The parliament decided to make the second Severn Bridge a supplement to the first one and build a motorway along it.
The main span of the structure runs over the water surface at a height of 37 meters. From a bird's eye view, the Second Severn is similar to the letter S, only slightly elongated. Until 2018, a toll was charged for crossing the crossing (from England to Wales).
Presidential Bridge, Russia
Rating: 4.4
Length: 5,825 km
This massive building is located in the city of Ulyanovsk and connects the Volga banks. During the erection of the structure, various technical innovations were used to maximize the 'performance' of its main elements. Considerable efforts and funds were spent on the construction (about 400 million rubles), which is associated with the paramount importance of the ferry, which is of strategic importance.
The construction process was very long and was interrupted several times. Work on the construction of the crossing began in 1986. After 6 years, only the first span was completed, and then for another 6 years, construction work was completely interrupted due to the suspension of project financing.
They suddenly remembered about him at the very peak of the financial crisis in the country and decided to bring the matter to an end: in 2009 the first stage was launched, the then President of the country Dmitry Medvedev was present at the ceremony. And then the second stage was built in just a couple of years. The construction of the Presidential Bridge became part of the transport system modernization program.
Great Belt, Denmark
Rating: 4.5
Length: 6.79 km
Although one of the crossings of the Danish kingdom is not among the three longest, it is in third place in terms of span. The hanging structure is located above the strait of the same name and connects the island of Funen with Zealand. The construction process lasted for 10 years, the financial costs for the project amounted to more than DKK 21 billion.
When the building was put into operation, it made life much easier for many Danes and guests of the country: now you can get from one island to another one hour faster. The new route began to be actively used not only for passenger traffic, but also for transporting goods. If the ferry crossing, which was operating before the bridge appeared, could 'withstand' only 8,000 cars per day, the Big Belt confidently copes with the traffic of 27,500 cars.
This bridge is extremely important not only for Denmark, but also for the whole of Europe. It made it possible to abandon domestic flights from the capital to Odense, and the number of flights from Copenhagen to Aarhus or Aalborg, for example, decreased several times. In addition, the Great Belt provides reliable road connections between Scandinavia and continental European settlements.
Øresund Bridge, Sweden / Denmark
Rating: 4.6
Length: 7,845 km
Bridges most often serve as a connecting point between water banks and continents, but the Øresund Bridge connects the two states. The transport hub is represented by several elements: a tunnel and two bridges. One goes into a tunnel built on an artificial island (Peberholm). To create it, initially, work was carried out to deepen the bottom, and the excavated rock was poured in the form of an island (0.5 x 4 km).
The crossing was officially opened in 2000. The festive event was attended by the monarchs of both countries – Margrethe II and Karl XVI Gustav. The bridge is in some way unique in that it is intended not only for road, but also for rail. And in this capacity it can already be considered the longest on the continent. A trip along Øresund is not a cheap pleasure: the fare is 38 euros per car. But for those who travel regularly, there is a preferential rate.
Saratov Bridge, Russia
Rating: 4.7
Length: 12.76 km
The emergence of the bridge was a real event for the Russians, because this crossing made it possible to significantly reduce the duration of the journey from Europe to Asia. Thanks to this bridge, it became possible to move quickly and comfortably from Saratov to Engels. The Saratov automobile crossing is the main element of the bypass road around these settlements.
In addition to the Volga, the structure crosses 2 more rivers and the island of Kotluban. The construction of the beam structure started back in 1991, and the 1st stage was put into operation only 10 years later. The opening of the second had to wait almost as long – 9 years. In the process of erecting the bridge structure, sand from a nearby quarry was used. When it was filled with water, the so-called Blue Lake was formed, according to the color of the water in it.
Alekseevsky bridge across the Kama, Russia
Rating: 4.8
Length: 13,967 km
Alekseevsky bridge is one of the three longest in Europe, which is located in Russia (in Tatarstan) and crosses several rivers at once. The construction of the structure began in 1992 and took a whole decade. During this long period of time, several contractors took over the “baton” for the construction of the bridge, more than 3,000 workers worked at the construction site.
In the fall of 2002, the Alekseevsky bridge was officially put into operation. The design is designed for the passage of vehicles of any configuration and dimensions. The fact that it is part of the Orenburg tract, as well as the longest road route in the world from Europe to Western China, makes this crossing especially important.
Vasco da Gama bridge, Portugal
Rating: 4.9
Length: 17.2 km
The cable-stayed bridge was inaugurated near Lisbon across the Tagus River in 1998. This coincided with another very significant event: the Portuguese celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery by their great ancestor of the waterway connecting India and Europe. There is a charge for traveling along 'Vasco da Gama' (only in the direction of the capital – 2.25 euros).
Initially, the project was very ambitious, since it was about incredibly short completion dates in order to have time to combine the opening of the bridge with the anniversary date: 4 companies and about 3,300 workers were involved in this process.
An interesting fact: the Vasco da Gama bridge is considered one of the most stable among the existing ones: it can withstand a real hurricane (the structure will withstand even wind gusts up to 250 km / h) and even a powerful earthquake. The natural bending of the earth's surface was also taken into account: the surface of the bridge was made slightly curved.
Crimean (Kerch) bridge, Russia
Rating: 5.0
Length: 19 km
After opening in 2018, the Crimean Bridge officially took the palm among the longest bridges from the previous participant in our rating. In addition, the crossing is considered the longest in Russia.
The construction of this link between the peninsula and the mainland of Russia began after the annexation of Crimea to the country and a sharp deterioration on this basis in relations with Ukraine. The route of the future bridge was chosen from 4 options. At the same time, several important points were taken into account: the presence of entrances to the crossing on both sides (auto, railway), the possibility of higher prices for construction work, ice conditions along the route, etc. The whole project cost the state budget almost 230 billion rubles.
The structure of the structure is considered to be two-part: it is represented by the road and rail parts (separate from each other). The crossing for cars was commissioned back in 2018, but the opening of the railway bridge is planned by the end of 2019.
Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
