Rainbow Bridge

A 798-metre suspension bridge completed in August 1993, linking Shibaura and Odaiba across Tokyo Bay. Twin towers rise 126 metres above sea level, while the double-deck structure carries the Shuto Expressway, Yurikamome monorail, a coastal road, and a public promenade in a single span.

Use

Office tower

Area

Minato City

Completed

1993

Height

126 m

A Suspension Bridge Spanning Tokyo Bay

Rising from the Shibaura waterfront in Minato City, Rainbow Bridge — formally the Tokyo Port Connecting Bridge — opened in August 1993 to cross northern Tokyo Bay to the Odaiba reclaimed island. Its popular name was chosen through a public competition and has stuck ever since, becoming one of the most recognisable silhouettes on the Tokyo waterfront.

At 798 metres in total length, the bridge carries the city’s traffic in four modes simultaneously. Two towers stand 126 metres above sea level, suspending cables across a central span of 570 metres and two side spans of 114 metres each. Below the main deck, ships entering Tokyo Port pass through a clearance of approximately 50 metres. The choice of a suspension bridge was dictated by two overlapping constraints: maritime law required a navigational clearance at least 50 metres high and 500 metres wide, while Haneda Airport’s airspace cap kept the entire structure below 155 metres. Only a long-span suspension bridge could meet both conditions.

Four Transport Modes in Two Decks

The bridge’s cross-section is a layered inventory of the city’s movement. The upper deck carries Shuto Expressway Route 11, a toll motorway linking Odaiba directly to the urban core. The lower deck places the Yurikamome automated guideway at its centre, flanked on either side by the Coastal Route (Kaigan-Aomi Line) for general traffic. Along the outermost edges of the lower deck, two public promenades — the North Route and the South Route — allow pedestrians to walk the entire crossing. The combined walkway stretches roughly 1.7 kilometres, offering an uninterrupted view of the bay with aircraft descending toward Haneda on one horizon and the city skyline on the other.

After dark, floodlights wash the structure in three shifting colours — white, green and red. Seen from Odaiba Beach or the Shibaura Canal, the bridge becomes a luminous arc above the dark harbour.

Summary

Completed in August 1993, Rainbow Bridge spans 798 metres with twin towers at 126 metres and a ship clearance of approximately 50 metres. Its double-deck design — stacking a motorway, a monorail, a general road and a pedestrian promenade within one structure — makes it one of the densest pieces of civil infrastructure in Tokyo.

Walk the promenade on a clear day and Tokyo Tower frames itself in the northwest haze; container ships pass silently beneath your feet. The Shibaura end connects naturally to the bayside district around the WTC South Tower, while the Odaiba end opens onto a wide park with the bay stretching to the horizon. For places to stay near Odaiba or Hamamatsucho, Rakuten Travel is a convenient option.