Akashi Kaikyō Bridge

Opened April 1998, this suspension bridge spans 3,911 m between Kobe and Awaji Island, with a world-record main span of 1,991 m. The twin towers rise 298.3 m above sea level. The bridge's total length was extended by one metre after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake struck during construction.

Use

Bridge

Area

Kobe / Awaji Island, Hyogo

Completed

1998

Height

298.3 m

Developer

Honshu–Shikoku Bridge Expressway Company (JB-Honshi)

The World’s Longest Suspension Bridge Main Span

Crossing the Akashi Strait between the Maiko district of Kobe and Iwaya on Awaji Island, the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge has a total length of 3,911 metres. Its central span — the distance between the two main towers — reaches 1,991 metres, making it the longest main span of any suspension bridge in the world. Construction began in May 1988, and the bridge opened to traffic on 5 April 1998 as part of the Kobe–Awaji–Naruto Expressway, which links Honshu with Awaji Island and Shikoku. The tops of the two main towers stand approximately 298.3 metres above sea level. The bridge adopts a three-span, two-hinge, stiffening-truss suspension design, with a rigid stiffening truss chosen to absorb the typhoon winds, wave forces, and ship-traffic vibrations characteristic of the strait. Before the bridge existed, crossing the strait meant boarding a ferry; the sight of a motorway running directly across the sea transformed the landscape entirely.

A Metre Extended by Earthquake

Six years into construction, the Great Hanshin Earthquake struck on 17 January 1995 and shook the work site. The violent ground motion shifted the positions of the main towers under construction, extending the bridge’s total design length from the planned 3,910 metres by approximately one metre. Damage to critical structural elements remained minor, and construction continued after design revisions. The completed bridge therefore measures 3,911 metres — one metre longer than originally planned — and that single extra metre quietly records the project’s struggle with the earthquake. Operating as part of the Kobe–Awaji–Naruto Expressway, the bridge now serves as a trunk-road connection between Honshu, Awaji Island, and Shikoku. At Maiko Park on the eastern approach, visitors can stand close to the massive anchorage blocks and watch the cables sweep across the strait toward Awaji Island. The JB-Honshi “Bridge World” programme also offers guided access to the 298-metre tower tops.

Summary

Opened in April 1998, the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge maintains its world-record main span of 1,991 metres within a total length of 3,911 metres. The bridge’s history — completed after an earthquake extended it by a metre — gives it meaning beyond its role as a motorway crossing. Standing at Maiko Park on the eastern shore, the towers and their sweeping cables frame a panorama of the Seto Inland Sea that rewards the visit. For hotels in Kobe, Akashi, or Awaji Island, Rakuten Travel is a useful starting point. To compare suspension-bridge engineering across eras, pair this with Tokyo’s Rainbow Bridge or the truss-and-pier design of Tokyo Gate Bridge.