National Geographic: Rio-Antirio Bridge in Greece - the world's longest multi-span cable-stayed bridge VIDEO

   

The Rio--Antirio bridge, officially the Charilaos Trikoupis bridge after the statesman who first envisaged it, is the world's longest multi-span cable-stayed bridge. It crosses the Gulf of Corinth near Patras, linking the town of Rio on the Peloponnese to Antirio on mainland Greece.


The 2,880 m (9,449 ft) long bridge (approximately 1.8 miles) dramatically improves access to and from the Peloponnese, which could previously be reached only by ferry or via the isthmus of Corinth in the east. Its width is 28 m (92 ft) — it has two vehicle lanes per direction, an emergency lane and a pedestrian walkway. Its five-span four-pylon cable-stayed portion of length 2,252 m (7,388 ft) is the world's second longest cable-stayed deck; only the deck of the Millau Viaduct in southern France is longer at 2,460 m (8,071 ft).

However, as the latter is also supported by bearings at the pylons apart from cable stays, the Rio--Antirrio bridge deck might be considered the longest cable-stayed "suspended" deck.