A bridge too far? 11 spectacular new bridges that break the mold

Allyssia Alleyne, CNN
1 minute read
Updated 12:32 PM EDT, Fri September 16, 2016
A team led by Xu Weiguo at Tsinghua University's School of Architecture completed the world's longest <a href="http://news.tsinghua.edu.cn/publish/thunews/9648/2019/20190114085400082963331/20190114085400082963331_.html" target="_blank" target="_blank">3D-printed concrete bridge</a> in Shanghai.
A team led by Xu Weiguo at Tsinghua University's School of Architecture completed the world's longest 3D-printed concrete bridge in Shanghai.
Courtesy JCDA
The bridge took 450 hours to produce and was unveiled in January 2019. Scroll through the gallery for some of the world's most spectacular bridges.
The bridge took 450 hours to produce and was unveiled in January 2019. Scroll through the gallery for some of the world's most spectacular bridges.
Courtesy JCDA
The name and shape of <a href="http://www.nextarchitects.com/en/what/2016/" target="_blank" target="_blank">NEXT Architects</a>' Lucky Knot Bridge refers to the Chinese art of decorative knotting, which is associated with good luck.
Lucky Knot Bridge by NEXT Architects, in progress (Changsha, China) —
The name and shape of NEXT Architects' Lucky Knot Bridge refers to the Chinese art of decorative knotting, which is associated with good luck.
Courtesy NEXT architects
At just over 3,000 ft, the Danjiang Bridge -- one of the last commissions awarded to the late <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/31/architecture/zaha-hadid-appreciation/">Zaha Hadid</a> -- will be the world's longest single-tower, asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, according to <a href="http://www.zaha-hadid.com/" target="_blank" target="_blank">the firm</a>. <br /><br />The subtle design is meant to have visual impact without obscuring the Taipei sunset.
Danjiang Bridge by Zaha Hadid Architects, in progress (Taipei, Taiwan) —
At just over 3,000 ft, the Danjiang Bridge -- one of the last commissions awarded to the late Zaha Hadid -- will be the world's longest single-tower, asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, according to the firm.

The subtle design is meant to have visual impact without obscuring the Taipei sunset.
Zaha Hadid Architects
In a rare twist, the <a href="http://www.ljusarkitektur.com/en/" target="_blank" target="_blank">Sölvesborg Bridge</a> -- Europe's longest pedestrian bridge at 2480 feet -- was specially enhanced by a lighting design firm rather than an architect. Ljusarkitektur mounted the structure with color-change LED lights.