World's longest suspension bridge connects two continents and cost £2billion
Another bridge could soon take its title.
The world's longest suspension bridge stretches an impressive 2,023 metres, linking the continents of Europe and Asia. Having only been open for four years, it claimed the top spot from Japan's Akashi Kaikyo Bridge.
The 1915 Çanakkale Bridge officially opened on March 18, 2022 in north-west Turkey, beginning at Gelibolu on the European side of the country before crossing to the Asian town of Lapseki. Surpassing the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge — constructed in 1998 — by 32 metres, the structure spans the Dardanelles Strait, where construction began in 2017. Journey times across the waterway have since been slashed by up to 93%.
Prior to the bridge's opening, travellers faced a 90-minute ferry crossing. Both the bridge's name and its length serve as a tribute to the nation's heritage.
The 1915 reference honours the Ottoman victory during the First World War — a defeat for Britain that ultimately paved the way for the declaration of the Republic of Turkey in 1923.
The 2,203-metre span is a nod to 2023, when Turkey celebrated the centenary of the republic's founding. President Erdogan previously revealed the colossal project carried a price tag of €2.5 billion (just over £2 billion).
He said: "Turkey has overtaken Japan, which has the longest bridge in the world in terms of midspan, and has taken the place."
Following the project's completion, Erdogan added: "Canakkale, which has been the apple of the eyes of various civilizations, cultures and societies for thousands of years, embraces a brand new future today.
"We have come together to inaugurate the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, which we see as a ruby necklace over the Canakkale Strait."
Despite currently holding the record as the world's longest suspension bridge, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge could soon be overtaken.
Italy has put forward plans for a new bridge linking the mainland to Sicily, which would claim the title of the world's longest. If constructed, it would stretch 3,300 metres.
This isn't the first time a bridge across the Strait of Messina has been proposed. A plan was drawn up in the 1990s but was scrapped in 2006.
The plans were resurrected in 2009 but abandoned once more in 2023. Last year, the proposals surfaced yet again.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said: "It is not an easy task but we consider it an investment in Italy's present and future, and we like difficult challenges when they make sense."
Concerns have been raised regarding earthquakes, powerful currents and potential disruption to bird migration routes.
